Silver Mist Strikes Again
by Sisi427
Summary: The Shinsengumi found a girl in the rain badly injured. After forming bonds with the Kiheitai, Yorozura, and Senshingumi, her story continues. OC story Gintoki and Hijikata are important characters. This story will have Humor and Drama as well as Romance. M for Strong language.
1. Chapter 1

**Recap**

Returning to my apartment was an annoying thought.  
After my sister, Chizuru, ransacked the place, I didn't want to live there.  
It wasn't the fact that I knew she had a key, or even that she had killed my kitten.  
In her deranged rampage, she had destroyed my sheets.  
The comforting, silky blankets I had once been in love with now draped over the side of my bed; dead.  
Unable to be used ever again, because some senseless bitch wanted our old master's sword.

Of course, that accompanied with the memories that I had known were bad ideas to make with Gintoki.  
I had told him that he wasn't allowed in my new bed. Yet somehow, he had managed to 'trick' me.  
Obviously I had known exactly what was going on, but I allowed my emotions to get the best of me.  
After we got caught by Shinpachi and Kagura, things got awkward.  
Especially when Tsukuyo and I had a slight disagreement, on who was better suited for Gintoki.  
Though Tsukuyo and I seemed to pass whatever sort of feud we had engaged in,  
I couldn't help but feel as though she truly was better suited for the man then I.

Something about her demeanor.  
Maybe it was just the fact that she was wearing his robe, but still.  
It would be a lie if I claimed to be anywhere near feminine.  
The woman effortlessly walked around in her heels, which I would surely die from, if I so much as attempted to wear.  
Relationships were a new concept to me, and while I felt as though I tried to be with Gintoki our views were far too different.  
After he gave me some seemingly random lecture about worms and butterflies I stopped slaying men.  
Until I realized that I couldn't continue my job without protecting myself.

He seemed to think that I had completely stopped after I received a grave injury,  
but after heeling up, and spending time with him I knew had to do something.  
I had to work.  
We got into a small argument, and after that things only seemed to get worse, and now we're here.  
It's only been a day since I told him we were just friends.  
And though I didn't tell him it was because Tsukuyo seemed better for him, he may have known why.  
It was an awkward way to end things, but that couldn't be helped.

Now I remained alone, after a hard day's work.  
(Consisting of killing men who appeared to be pirates that had taken Takasugi's safe house.)  
Kawakami and I cleared the small castle and after I received my payment I left.

The first thing I did upon arriving at my apartment was examine the necklaces I had shoved into my boots.  
Kawakami had given them to me after his momentary lapse of judgement.  
One was laced with pearls, and other stones I couldn't recognize.  
The others were all solid gold with an occasional stone in the chain.  
'_These have got to be worth some thing...'_  
After studying the delicate chains I placed them in the briefcase, along with the weapons Katsura had sold me; for safekeeping.  
I also put some of the money in the box as well. Walking around with too much money would be suspicious.

* * *

**From where the last chapter left off.**

After a long shower, I walked into my room.  
leaning against the door way, I scowled at the sheets.  
_'Damn it... Neither of my sheet sets are okay right now... One is made for another woman, and the other is torn...'  
_Sighing loudly I pulled a yukata over myself and set out.  
Though Hijikata may be sleeping, I was sure that if I used the small cut on my arm as an excuse he would let me stay with him again.  
Of course we were just friends, as he had turned me down a while back.  
But the night night I saw Tsukuyo in Gintoki's robe, I stayed with Hijikata.  
That was only one night ago, but I still didn't want to sleep with ripped sheets.

I didn't hesitate to pop his window open when the man didn't answer me.  
Silently slipping through the darkness and to his bed, I knelt beside him.  
"Oi, Toushi... Wake up..."  
"Mmm? Rein you better not be here... I'll... You..."  
For some reason it sounded like he had said "kill", but I didn't let that dissuade me.  
"Come on, wake up..." I nudged the man lightly, and he turned over to face me.  
"What?"

"I need you to sew me up..."  
Sitting up, Hijikata sighed in annoyance.  
He flicked the light on, and glared at me.  
"Where is it this time?"  
Admittedly, the cut was more of a scrape. It was deep enough to be sewed, but i really didn't need to be.  
It was more of an excuse. Just to be there.  
My apartment didn't have anything for me, and without Gintoki there it was uncomfortable.  
Not in an 'I cant go on without him' sort of way.  
More like a 'Damn it, I knew I shouldn't have done that, but being a dumb ass I still did it,  
and now I feel like a bigger dumb ass then before when I was already feeling like a dumb ass' way.  
I showed Hijikata my arm, and he snickered at me.  
"You'll live."

With that he turned the light off, and laid back down; not even offering a second glance.  
"I suppose..."  
'_Damn it, he knows this tiny scratch won't effect me. If only I could pretend to be one of those frail,  
defenseless girls, who cries when they break a nail or something... But I guess that can't be helped, I should-'_

"Lock the door." He interrupted my thoughts, and I nodded.  
The man seemed to understand why I had actually come over, and after locking the door, I crawled into his bed.  
He held the cover up, and once I had laid down he turned his back to me.

Silence filled the room, and I took the time to contemplate the day's events  
I wondered what I would do with the jewelry, or the money I had earned. The first thing I though was to get a new apartment.  
The landlord wouldn't be happy to find out that the walls were filled with holes, but there was probably a way to fix that.

Over an hour passed, and I was still deep in thought when Hijikata's voice shattered the still air.  
The man seemed to be good at sleeping and holding conversations. Or at least pretending to sleep.  
"Is it the sheets again? You haven't found a new set yet?"  
I shook my head, and he turned to face me, sighing.  
"Next time you get on a bike without a helmet, I'm gonna arrest you."

His statement caused me to snicker, I stared at the plain white ceiling for a second before gazing at the man beside me.  
"Alright... As long as you break me out."  
After a moment of silence, Hijikata pulled me against himself, lacing his leg around one of mine.  
I froze in place, as he nuzzled into my neck.  
"Any time..."


	2. Shopping for Sheets?

When morning arrived a light nudge caused me to stir slightly.  
"Get up..."  
Deeply exhaling I ignored the voice, and turned over; placing my hand on the mattress.  
A part of the mattress that was very warm, firm and lean.  
The texture of the bed was unexpected, and out of curiosity I started to trace the tips of my fingers over it,  
just to get a mental image of what the hell was going on with the bed.  
The area held solid ridges with creases between them.  
That mental image was cut short by the sound of breath catching, and a quick smack to the back of my hand.

I jumped at the sensation, and opened my eyes to find a very irritated looking Hijikata.  
_"What the hell are you trying to do?! You're gonna get me caught! You can't just start groping me!"_  
I stared at him in confusion, not exactly sure what to make of the whispered words.  
"Grope?" I asked, frowning. Though my voice was low, and laced with sleep he seemed to hear me well.  
_"Don't try to play dumb! I know your sheets were ripped, but you can't just buy the first new set you see!  
You have to wait, and make sure that the next set is exactly what you want!"_

It took a moment for me to understand what he was saying.  
I hadn't been playing with the mattress... Or even a pillow...  
_"New sheets? I don't want new sheets! Not yet! I- didn't know that I was shopping!"_

_"This isn't a store! We're out of business! You can't buy sheets here!"  
_  
Our whispers seemed to grow louder with each word, and I felt a blush threaten to take me.  
_"I wasn't trying to shop! I was just- Uh... Testing the material?"_  
He stared at me with a blank expression before an alarmed frown creased his brow.  
_"The material!? Does that seem like the right thing to say right now?! My material isn't for sale!"_

_"No- No! Not like that! It didn't sound like that in my head! I wasn't-"_

"Hijikata-Saaan! What are you doing in there? Are you okay?"  
Our whispering was interrupted by Okita's voice, and Hijikata shot me a frantic expression.  
"Uh, Yeah! Yeah! Everything is fine! I was just- I'm on the phone!"

He didn't receive an answer, and he peered at me the entire time.  
"Stupid! This is your fault... Why did you even come back?"  
Gazing at Hijikata I shrugged. Honestly I didn't have a reason; well, not a good one at least.  
I just didn't want to sleep with torn sheets, or in a bed that still smelled like Gintoki.  
Was that really so much to ask?

While things like that didn't usually get to me, I had been acting odd lately.  
Not wanting to do anything but work, or not buying any fruit.  
The work part was seemingly normal the fruit was undeniable proof that something was wrong with me.  
Come to think of it, I hadn't had an apple in over twenty chapters. Strange.  
Sighing loudly, I crawled over Hijikata and out of the bed.  
The man shied away from my touch, and I averted my gaze as well.  
"Cut it out. I'm not the plague or anything... Anyway... I plan to get a new apartment."

He didn't respond, just stared at the comforter over himself.  
Slipping my shoes on I moved to the window.  
"I suppose you have to make your rounds? I should be going as well..."  
Beyond the glass frame in the window I could see the sun had already risen,  
and the sky was a bright shade of blue. After a moment of studying the weather, I slid the window open.

"I'm off today." I glanced at Hijikata who was lighting a cigarette, and smirked.  
"Sounds fun. I guess I could say the same." He stared at the ever trailing smoke, and I walked back to his side.  
"I'm sick of whispering, see you later." The man watched me as I took the cigarette, and moved back to my exit.  
Neither of us said a word as I climbed out, and slipped through the barracks yard.

* * *

On my way over the wall, I was met with an unsuspected sight; Okita grinning up at me.  
It appeared that he had been waiting on the other side of the wall for me, and the grin was not exactly friendly.  
"Rein. What are you doing here?" He spoke in a flat tone, and I jumped to the ground beside him.  
As I landed, he kicked one of my legs from under me causing me to fall flat on my ass.

"Damn it! Okita! What the hell was that for?!" Scowling up at the man, I rose to my feet.  
"You've been sleeping with Hijikata-San."

My jaw almost dropped. Almost. I shook my head, and he flashed me an unnerving smirk.  
"Why would you assume I've been sleeping here? How would you know if I hadn't just come in this morning to see Kondou?"  
Crossing my arms I peered at the man, and an amused expression flickered across his face.

"Kondou? Maybe I should ask..."  
He tucked his hands in his pockets, and started to walk away, but I knew it was not a good idea to let him leave at a point like this.  
I grabbed the man's arm, refusing to let him go farther.  
He turned to look at me over his shoulder, donning a curious stare.

"What do you want?" I scowled at the man, knowing I was going to hate whatever he said.  
"Well... It was going to be a boring day... But if you play with me, I guess it wont be so bad..."  
His words only caused my scowl to deeper, but he smirked.


	3. Let's Play A Game!

"What the fuck is this?! Are you serious?!"  
Okita had brought me to his room, and handed me some sort of costume.  
It was a police woman costume. More like a dirty, perverted piece of lingerie.

It had a low bust, corset, and high flared out tutu skirt.  
"It's your uniform." He answered in his usual monotone voice; which only made me more uncomfortable.  
"I'm not wearing this! No chance in hell! You couldn't pay me enough to-"  
"Do you want me to tell Kondou what you were doing with Hijikata?" A small creepy smile started to play on his lips, and I frowned at him.  
"What I was... Doing? I didn't do anything with him!" Shoving the costume back towards the captain, I received an even wider grin.  
"Then why did you stay the night? And sneak out? I'll go ask Hijikata..." He started to walk away, and I grabbed his arm.  
"Wait! Damn it..."  
_'I can't let Toushi get in trouble... It's my fault after all...'_

Sighing loudly I held the damn outfit up.  
"Will it really fit me..?" The angered tone of my voice seemed to amuse Okita, and he tilted his head back in triumph.

Ten minutes later I was wearing the outfit. The skirt was barely to my mid thigh.  
And puffy. A black silky material covered my bust, and stretched over the skirt, only to be parted in the middle by a tight corset type belt.  
"These too." The man thrust a pair of fish net stockings towards me, and I glared at him.  
"Fuck you... I'm already wearing the damn dress." Crossing my arms I clenched my teeth, and he pointed to my legs.  
"You need to shave too." Okita started to pull his sword from his waist and I backed up.  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! HOLD ON! What the hell are you-"  
I was cut off when the man tackled me. The next few minutes were some of the most painful in my life.

He didn't hesitate to scare the hell out of me, using his sword to 'Shave my legs'.  
Apparently my yelling attracted attention, because soon Hijikata was at the door.

"Sougo! What are you doing in there? Who the hell's in there with you?!"

Okita grinned at me, and I scowled at the man as he placed the blade back to my skin.  
_"Damn it Okita! What the fuck do you think you're doing!? I don't want to! I don't have a reason to!"  
_  
"Stop moving... The blade might slip..." After peering at me as if nothing was happening, Okita, let out a light chuckle.  
Well, at least _he_ was having fun.  
He had never responded to Hijikata, and instead, somehow managed to shave my legs.  
I know. What the hell?

Obviously, the man cut me a number of times.  
It seemed as if he had done it on purpose, but I knew better then to ask.  
When he was done he cleaned his blade, and made me put the stockings on.  
Furious, I could do nothing but glare at him as he pushed a pair of leather high heels at me.  
It didn't matter if I spat curses at him, or tried to be nice, he would remain the same.

"You're not very good at being a girl... Okay, you will listen to me all day.  
I don't care if you don't like what I tell you to do. One slip up, and I'll let everybody know what you've been doing. And..."  
Pointing at the dagger strap I had refused to take off, he grinned.  
"Put that _over_ the stockings... Wear this too." Throwing another piece of cloth at me, he laid on his bed.  
"Wha- Is this a..? A garter? Okita, why the hell do you have all of these here?  
What could you possibly need all of this for? You can't just keep it for no reason!"

Sitting up, the man held up one finger.  
"Master."  
"Huh?" I asked.  
"Master."  
"Wait... What? Seriously?! What the fuck Oki-"  
"Master." He echoed for the umpteenth time.  
This was already ridiculous, and quickly surpassing the word.  
Shaking my head, I turned away from him and pulled the garter up.  
When I turned around he started to snicker at me.  
"You don't know how to wear that either?"

He came to my side, and started to reach under my skirt.  
"WH- WHAT THE-! DAMN IT OKITA!"  
I backed away, and he just followed, soon succeeding in clipping the garter to the stockings.  
I really didn't know how to wear it...

I felt dirty. Wearing this _thing_. It was like having to beg for toilet tissue from the bathroom of a crowded restaurant.  
"Master." He corrected and placed a leather hat with a badge design on my head.  
Sighing loudly, I felt my face grow hot. Out of anger, and humiliation.  
"This is ridiculous. I'm not doing this. That's it. I refuse to wear this- I can only imagine what you're going to tell me to do!"  
I snatched the hat off of my head and threw it at him.  
"Well... I guess I'll have to tell Kondou. I thought you were strong enough to do it to. What a shame."  
The man sighed loudly, and placed his hands in his pockets, casually strolling to the door.  
"Strong enough? I'm not weak! Stupid, this has nothing to do with strength! I'm just not going anywhere like this!"  
He shook his head at my response.  
"Hijikata's gonna be so upset when he loses his job- But I'll get a promotion, so no harm done."  
Shrugging he placed his hand on the door, and I echoed the sigh he had released only a few moments before.

"Damn it! Fine! Fine! Fuck you!"  
I snatched the hat off of the ground, and he smirked at me.  
"That's 'Fuck you, _Master'_."

_'He's a fucking sadist! I always knew he liked bothering people, but this is too much!'_

"Sougo! What the fuck is going on in there?!" Hijikata was back, and Okita walked to my side.  
He nudged me, with a blank expression.  
"Moan."  
"Wh- WHAT?" Shocked by his request, I stared at him wide eyed.  
"Moan. And say master too..." A dark grin curled his lips, and I scowled at him.

"Sougo! Open the damn door!" Apparently the room was locked.  
Okita nudged me again, and I crossed my arms.  
Leaning to one side I gave a lazy, annoyed moan.  
He nudged me again, holding a deadpan expression.  
Only this time the nudge was more like being elbowed in the arm.  
"Ow- Fu-"  
"Do it right." He cut me off, and I sighed in defeat.  
"Ohh, Maasteer..." I glared at him the entire time, and he stared at the door expectantly.

After a moment of silence, Hijikata started knocking on the door harder then before.  
"WHAT THE- ARE YOU REALLY?"

Snickering at the confusion he had caused, Okita grabbed my arm, and started to pull me to the door.  
"Wait- I don't wanna go out there! Not like this- Anything but this!"  
I firmly planted the heels on the ground and he turned to me.  
"Anything?"

I immediately regretted the words, wondering what the hell he was thinking.  
"What about this?" He pulled a coil of rope out of what seemed t be thin air, and I scowled.  
"Wait, no, I take it back. This is fine! I kinda like it now- Yeah! It's... Uh... Cute?"  
Nodding Okita grabbed a waist belt, and strapped it on me. He then turned back to the door, and tugged it open.  
Hijikata stood in the doorway completely stunned.  
Despite the enraged expression I surely held, he flushed a deep shade of scarlet, and started to cough profusely.  
"What- What the- You wearing?!"  
"It's the Naughty Police Woman 2000 Deluxe Senshingumi Edition. Equipped with love cuffs, oral pepper spray, and a whip to fight crime."  
Okita answered in a monotone voice motioning to the extra belt he had clipped around me.  
I remained in place with my arms crossed refusing to look at the men.  
"Whip Hijikata-San." Okita stared at me dominantly, and I continued to look away as if I hadn't heard him.  
"Okay. I see you're done. I'll just go and-" He had started to walked away, and I grabbed his sleeve with one hand.  
Hijikata frowned at us, probably not understanding what the hell was going on.

Okita turned to grin at me, and I reached to the belt, pulling the whip out.  
Hijikata continued to frown in confusion, and I held the whip in one hand.  
"Are you going to do it?" Okita asked, and I gazed up at Hijikata.  
"Yes..."  
"Yes what?"  
Hijikata was still just staring at us, and I felt my cheeks grow warm. Embarrassed, I clenched my fists.  
"Yes... ..ter." I spoke in a low tone, which didn't seem to satisfy Okita.  
"Say it right, or I'll make it worse."  
Sighing loudly, I shifted my gaze.  
"Yes Master..."

"What the hell is going on here?!" Hijikata finally spoke, and I glared between the two men.  
I raised the whip, and Okita stepped towards me.  
"Wait- this first."  
I was still holding the whip when he grabbed the costume, and tugged it downward,  
flashing Hijikata the top of my boobs, which were already pressed tightly against me.  
"What the fuck Okita!" I turned to face the man, ignoring a loud thump, but he was peering at the ground with a curious expression.  
"Huh..."

Following his gaze, I found Hijikata on the floor appearing to be dazed, with blood coming from his nose.  
"Uhh... Is that alright? Is that supposed to happen? I didn't even hit him yet..."  
We stared at the man, neither of us speaking; waiting for him to move, or do something.  
"I think he's dead. Wow. I killed him with your boobs... Okay, well let's just leave him like that."  
Grabbing my arm Okita led me away.


	4. Let's Play A Game! pt2

Okita led me to the training yard, where Kondo was instructing some of the members of the Senshingumi.  
When we got there he gave me a command that I obviously protested to, but once again he said he would tell, and I caved in.  
He nudged me forward and leaned against the door way, watching me.  
The moment I walked into the room all of the men stopped.  
They stared at me wide eyed, as if I had eight heads.  
And each one had a penis on it's forehead, or something.

I froze in place, and turned to glare at Okita, who was looking away as innocently as possible.  
Suppressing the onslaught of curses that came to mind, I hesitantly walked over to Kondo.  
"Oh, uh... Erm... Rein! What are you- Uh, doing? Here? In that?"  
It started awkward, but with what I was about to do it wasn't getting any better.  
"Hi." My voice was almost a whisper, and it soon became apparent that he probably hadn't heard me.  
Clearing my throat I tried again.  
"H- Hi!" Now I yelled at him. This wasn't getting any easier.  
"I uh... Just wanted to confess..." I averted my gaze, and the man scowled down at me.  
"Confess?"  
Okita coughed behind me, and I sighed.  
Unable to muster a convincing tone, I let my voice fall flat.  
"How did you do that?"

Frowning at me Kondo raised an eyebrow.  
"What?" He asked, completely unaware of my distress.  
"Look so good!" My voice was still a monotone, and I heard small gasps in the room as I spoke.

Apparently the Commander was just as stunned as the on-lookers.  
"Wh- What are you-"

I wanted to get this over as quickly as possible.  
The only way to do it without getting Hijikata in trouble was to use all of the lines Okita had given me, and rush away.  
Kondo stopped talking as I extended a closed hand towards him.  
When he held his hand under mine, he asked "What is it" and I averted my gaze.  
Completely humiliated I turned away from him, and crossed my arms.  
Okita watched me, still appearing to be innocent, but I knew the truth.  
The moment I faltered, he would step in and reveal the secret.  
Sighing loudly, I turned back to Kondo.  
"It's..."  
All of the men were watching me, and I felt my face burn worse then before.  
Even though the room was open to the outdoors, the air felt tense, and stuffy.

"It's... My breath... From when you took it away "

Some of the men gasped again, and Kondo appeared to be taken aback.  
Nobody could have expected this. I didn't even expect this shit.  
"Uhh... Rein-"  
"Hey, come here often?" I interrupted him, and his confusion never lapsed.  
"What do you mean? I'm the Commander... I'm here every-"

"You could, with me." My statement, caused more gasps to fill the air and I dropped my head.  
"Does your watch have a second hand?" My random question seemed to take the heat off of me, but not for long...  
"Yeah- Yeah, it does! What do you need?" Kondo awkwardly scratched his head, and I started to chew my lip.

"I want to know how long it took for me to fall in love with you."  
Now everybody gasped.  
The room had already been deathly silent, but the sound of every single man in the room gasping in unison was unnerving.

Finally finished, I turned away in an attempt to run in the ridiculous high heels I was wearing.  
Only to be stopped by Kondo.  
He grabbed my wrist, and I froze in place; wondering what the hell he could have to say after all of that.

"Rein... I don't know what's gotten into you, but I know how you feel...  
I'm in love with somebody as well, but I have never been able to say things like that to her..."

I turned to face him, wishing that he understood this was a joke,  
or just didn't take it seriously at all; mortified. In the back ground somebody coughed. "STALKER"

"But the woman I'm in love with is perfect. I understand how hard it is to tell the person you care for how you feel.  
And I appreciate your telling me. That sort of action demands respect... And even dressing up so provocatively just to show me you care..."  
A few people started to snicker, and Kondo turned to the men.  
"Don't laugh! Never laugh at a woman who is bearing her heart to you! That's the first rule of being a man!"

The room fell silent and he returned his attention to me.  
"I'm probably not the man for you. But if you truly chose me, I won't criticize your choice...  
Remember I have dedication to Otae... But let's both do our best okay?"  
He held one of my hands in both of his, and I stared at him, slightly surprised that he could be so calm about this.  
"Uhh... Yeah..." I muttered the words, and he flashed me a bright smile.  
"Don't be embarrassed. It's okay. Love makes people do crazy things..."


	5. Let's Play A Game! Pt3

Despite the golden rays of sunlight, (which were quickly diminishing) Okita made my day as humiliating, and painful as possible.  
The high heels he made me wear caused frequent falls, in which he would just stare at me blankly for a second, and laugh.  
After "confessing" to Kondo I was taken back to the main building.

Standing in Okita's room, I glared at the man, only to be met with a deadpan expression.  
"Hmm... What next?" The man placed a finger to his chin, and raised his eyes to the ceiling.  
"I expected you to give up by now... But I don't mind having more fun. The Senshingumi is getting boring... We should go somewhere else..."  
Nodding to himself, he glanced at me.  
"Hey, what about just randomly reaching out and tracing your finger over people's face.  
Not in a gentle way- Just look bored while your finger does its own thing."

Frowning I shook my head.  
"Not doing it. No way." Despite my scowl he snickered at me.  
"You should be over this 'pride' thing by now. Well... For now- Do my laundry."  
With that,the man started striping his uniform off. He threw the clothes at me, and I could do nothing but try to catch everything.  
"Wait- if you're on duty, why are you fucking with me?!"  
"I'm not." With that he left the room.  
I sighed to myself, as I pulled his shirt from my head, and started to pile his clothes up.  
_'I'm gonna get him back for this... At least this isn't as humiliating as before... That son of a-'  
_"Oh Rein, you might want to have that all done by the time I get out of the bath. If not, I'm sure i could find another outfit somewhere around here."  
I hadn't even heard the door open again, but his words caused me to pick up the pace.  
A lot. I moved as quickly as possible collecting everything from dirty underwear, to coats.

Okita walked in the room and pulled a white bit of fabric from his drawers.  
"And wear this too." I stood up straight holding my hands beside my shoulders, as he strapped the fabric around my waist.  
"An apron? Seriously?"  
He peered at me for a second before walking away.  
_'Damn it! Damn him! Why the hell am I even going along with this shit?! How dare he make me wash his clothes! And talk to Kondou like that...'  
_The thought of saying such ridiculous pick up lines caused my stomach to churn.  
_'I don't do that sort of thing! And definitely not this!'_

I grabbed a laundry hamper and started from the room; carrying his clothes.  
_'I'm a fucking mercenary for crying out loud! I kill, not clean!'_

The moment I exited the room I was surprised to find Hijikata walking towards me.  
"Rein- What are you doing? Why are you still wearing that?"  
He held a deep scowl and I sighed loudly, walking past him.  
"Oi! Don't ignore me! What the hell's going on?"  
I peered at him over my shoulder, before shaking my head.  
"I'm... Playing with Okita."

Confusion flickered across his face, and he started towards me.  
"Playing? In that? Why? I heard about what you said to Kondo... Didn't I tell you that you need to wait before you try to buy sheets again?!"  
I would have laughed at the man if I wasn't in such a humiliating position.  
Instead of offering an answer I continued towards the laundry room.

* * *

After hanging Okita's clothes up to dry, I returned to his room, and sat on his bed; to wait for the man to return.  
Sure enough, it only took a few minutes.  
"Where are my clothes?" He had a new outfit on; a large tan shirt, and green pants.  
"Drying." I glared up at him, and he nodded.  
"So they aren't done yet?" A menacing smirk played on his lips, and I sighed.

"Damn it- It's impossible to have them washed and dried that quickly!"  
My annoyance only furthered his amusement and he nodded.  
"You failed. Time to go."

Confused, I stood up, and walked to his side.  
"Go where?"  
"The torture chamber. Hm... You're getting better at walking in those."  
The man grabbed my sleeve and pulled me away.  
"T- Torture chamber?! What the hell are you going to do to me?!"

"Torture you." He responded in a monotone, and I started to pull away from him.  
"OI! You can't do that! If you expect me to just let you- You're mistaken!"  
I pulled the whip from my side and started to strike him with it.  
he was clearly startled by the action, and voiced his surprise.  
"That's wrong! You don't hit your master!" The man wrestled the whip from my hands, and struck me back.  
"Bad girl."  
I stood, slack jawed, and he grinned.  
"Come on."


	6. And Again with the Games

Surprisingly he pulled me to the Yorozura. He didn't wait to knock, and ignored my protesting cries.  
"No- Wait! I don't want to go in there! I'm not doing this! You can tell on us- I don't care!"

"So you want Hijikata to get fired?" He peered at me over his shoulder, still pulling me through the door.  
Clenching my teeth I silenced myself.  
Okita hadn't given me my whip back.  
Instead, the man strapped it to his side, and continued on as if nothing had happened.

"Oi- boss! I brought someone with me!"  
Okita instructed me to make some tea, and I obliged; knowing that this wasn't the worse thing that he would do.  
Soon Gintoki entered the room.  
I ducked into the kitchen, not wanting him to see me dressed like this.  
He appeared to have just taken a shower, but was fully dressed.  
"You coulda knocked..."

"That wouldn't be any fun...My slave is making tea."  
"Huh?"  
"Where's China?"  
"Those two took Sadaharu out. I think Patsuan is going to the store too."  
There was a pause and I placed three cups on a small tray I found in the kitchen.  
When I walked out back into the living room (Hesitantly of course), I was met with a menacing glare, and a nose bleed.  
The force of the blood seemed to cause Gintoki to fall backwards and I stared at the man, frowning.  
_'Why do people keep doing that?'_

"Boss? Wait- I'm not done yet, don't go to sleep..." Okita leaned over the couch, peering at Gintoki.  
His attention soon returned to me.  
"Put the tea on the table."  
Sighing loudly I did as instructed, and Gintoki sat up.  
"What are you wearing?! You're the slave? What the hell is going on?!"  
"It's Naughty Police Woman 2000 Deluxe Senshingumi Maid-Sama Edition, equipped with love cuffs, oral pepper spray, and this whip to fight crime."  
Okita answered in a flat voice, motioning to his whip, and taking his cup.  
"H- How did you get her in that? What did you do to make her-"  
"I caught her doing something she shouldn't." Okita cut him off, and my eyes widened.

"What was she doing?" Gintoki asked, standing up.  
"She was-" Cutting Okita off, I slapped him.  
"Damn it Okita- You said you wouldn't tell! A deal's a deal!"

Gintoki watched us, frowning, as Okita stood up and removed the whip from his side.  
"I said I wouldn't tell Kondo... Didn't I tell you to call me master?"  
I glared at the man, crossing my arms.  
"No." I stated defiantly.  
A large grin spread across Okita's face and he cracked the whip.  
"What did you say?"

Leaning away from the man I repeated myself.  
Without warning he started whipping me. In front of Gintoki.  
"Ah! Damn it! Okita! Cut it out!" I tried to cover myself, and move away, but he followed after me.  
Gintoki just watched in silence; probably confused.  
"I won't stop until you say it right."  
Jumping around, I continued to try to escape, only to be tripped by the damn high heels.  
I landed on my stomach, and fell silent as Okita continued to whip me.

Turning over I lifted myself with my elbows.  
"Fuck you!"  
The man's pleasure only grew and I sighed.  
"Fuck you... Master."  
He stopped, and nodded.  
Soon the man was sitting at the couch again, and I stood up.  
"She was sleeping with Hijikata." He stated in a flat tone.

Gintoki's jaw dropped, and he peered at me.  
"With Oogushi-Kun?!"  
Okita nodded, and embarrassment crept over me.  
I shifted my gaze, clenching my fists.  
"I already told you! Nothing happened!"  
The men stared at me for a moment, before looking at each other.  
"She was sneaking out this morning." Okita added, only furthering my humiliation.

"Sit on Gintoki's lap." Okita pointed at the man, and I shook my head.  
"No! Damn it! You've already told somebody now! Why would I listen to you anymore?!"  
He held up the whip, and I sighed.  
"Fuck you..."  
Walking to Gintoki, I peered down at the man, who was refusing to look at me.  
"What was that?" Okita asked, and I glared at him.  
"Master." I hissed, sitting on Gintoki.  
"Why were you sneaking out if you didn't sleep with him?"  
The sudden question caused me to glance at Gintoki, who was still looking away.  
"Well... It- It's none of your business!" After snapping the words, I was met with a crack to the back.  
I cried out, and my back arched in response. Turning to peer at Okita I was met with a smirk.  
He held the whip up, and stared at me.  
"Answer him."

Sighing for the umpteenth time I gripped the short skirt on my lap.  
"I-... Well... I slept there... But nothing happened..."

"Do you want to whip her?" Okita asked, extending the whip towards Gintoki.  
Gintoki didn't move, or look at me.  
"Why did you sleep there then?"

Just as I was about to yell at him about how he shouldn't care, I peered at Okita, who was still holding the whip up.  
Shifting my gaze, I decided to just answer him.  
"My sheets are ripped... I don't exactly have another set. So I stayed with Toushi..."  
Gintoki nodded, and released a deep sigh.  
"What ever- I don't care." Redirecting his attention, he spoke to Okita.  
"Souichiro-Kun, what's off limits here?"  
His question befuddled me, and I turned to look at Okita.  
The man shrugged and put his feet up; gazing at the TV.

Gintoki peered up at me mischievously, and before I knew it the man placed a and on my chest.  
I stared down at his hand; completely flustered.  
"O- OI! What the-" I was cut off with a whip to the back.  
"Damn it Sougo!" I yelled turning to glare at him.  
"Master." He corrected, whipping me again.  
When I cried out, Gintoki stood up and forced me to my feet.  
Okita stared at us curiously, and I studied the dark expression on Gintoki's face.  
His eyes were hidden by a shadow and I wondered what the hell he was going to do.  
Okita whipped me again,and I scowled at him.  
"Say it." He commanded and I sighed.  
"Master..."

As soon as the word escaped me, Gintoki was dragging me towards his room.  
"Boss- What are you-"  
"Shut up! Not now!" Gintoki growled, pushing me through the door, and slamming it behind us.


	7. Awkward

Gintoki told Okita to leave, and despite his confusion the man obliged.  
When we were alone, he pushed me into the wall beside his door.  
"You slept with Oogushi-Kun? Why the hell would you do something like that?"  
I couldn't conceal my befuddlement, and frowned at the man.  
He stood in front of me with his arms crossed, glaring straight at me.  
Leaning on the wall, I crossed my own arms, and shifted my gaze.  
"What does it matter to you? I already told you nothing happened... It's none of your business anyway..."  
Surprisingly my response was met with a strike to the thigh.  
"What the-"  
Gintoki was holding the whip in one hand, and grinning at me darkly.  
"When the hell did you get that?! Ginto-"  
"Master." He corrected.  
"Not you too!" I exclaimed only to be met with another crack of the whip.  
"Damn it!" Completely enraged, I slapped his shoulder.  
"Knock it off!"  
He started to whip me again, yelling.  
"You don't sleep with cops! BAD! Damn it!  
And the next time you ride a motorcycle without a helmet, _and_ show off like that I'm gonna kick your ass! What the hell where you thinking!?"

I tried to block the whip, to no avail.  
"I didn't do that! Bansai did it!"  
There was nowhere to move, as the wall inhibited me from backing away.  
"Oh- now you're on first name basis with him too!?"  
Just as I though it couldn't get any worse the door slid open.  
"Gin-San! I got your-" Shinpachi stood in the door way, a grin quickly falling from his face.  
He did nothing but stare at us, and we stared back at him; probably looking like deer in headlights.  
Nobody spoke. Shinpachi backed out of the room, and closed the door in front of himself.  
"What, Glasses?" Kagura could be heard, and Gintoki and I gazed at one another.  
"Nothing! Nothing! He's not here!" The boy responded.

They continued to chatter, Shinpachi growing more enthusiastic with each word he spoke.

_"What the hell were you thinking? You knew they would be coming back! Dumb ass- I'm getting out of here!"  
_I whispered the words to Gintoki, who was still holding the whip. Realizing I couldn't just walk through the door, I started towards his window.  
The man watched me move across the room, and I peered through the glass, trying to estimate the distance to the ground.

"Oi..." A pair of arms wrapped around my hips, and I turned to peer at Gintoki.  
He was leaning over me, and I sighed loudly.  
_"Get off of me... I don't want your sheets! They're made for another woman!"  
_"Another woman? Sheets? What? Nobody has been in my bed..."  
He was talking in his normal tone, and soon Kagura could be heard in the background.  
"I heard him! He's in there stupid! Why the hell would you-"  
The moment she slid the door open, we turned to look at the girl.  
She stood in the doorway looking thoroughly confused and pale as a ghost.  
(Well... More pale then she normally was, if that's even possible.)  
Annoyed, Gintoki stomped to the door and slammed it shut; blocking us from the girl's view.

"Shinpachi... Eyebrow-San is in there... And she's wearing..." Kagura's low voice was still audible, and Shinpachi responded.  
"Yeah... I know..."  
"Gin-Chan had a whip..."  
"Yeah... I know..." Shinpachi echoed.

Walking back to me, Gintoki scowled.  
"Now, what the hell were you saying about my sheets? Something about wanting them?"  
The man wrapped his arms around me, and I felt my heart rate increase.  
Turning to face him, I stepped back; towards the window.  
"No- No! I don't want your sheets! I'm not ready for sheets right now! I need to focus on my job- and eating fruit! So the readers don't worry about me any more!"  
"Don't worry about the readers... They want this... And I'll give you some fruit to eat..."  
Flustered, I continued to move away from him.  
"This isn't the time to make dirty jokes! Don't try to speak for the readers! You freaked the kids out! What are you gonna do about it?!"  
Shaking his head Gintoki inched closer to my lips.  
"You..."

Shoving him away, I squeaked in an oddly girly manner. It wasn't intentional...  
It just kinda happened.  
"We- We talked about this! I'm not shopping right now!"

"Shopping? What the hell are you talking about?"  
For the first time I realized that Gintoki had no clue about the sheet metaphor.  
Shaking my head, I started across the room.  
"Nothing..."

"Oi, you couldn't have meant what you said last time..."  
My heart almost dropped at the thought of our last conversation.  
"I... Don't want to talk about it."  
He nodded, and I opened the door.  
Kagura and Shinpachi were nowhere to be found.  
"Huh... They must have run away..."  
I turned to peer at Gintoki who was leaning against the wall beside the window.  
His arms were crossed, and he was gazing to his side seemingly lost in thought.  
The light of the setting sun illuminated the tips of his hair, and I figured he wouldn't answer me.

Sighing I left the Yorozura, thankful that I didn't have to face the others.


	8. Sewing is Harder then it Seems

On the way to my apartment I ran into Hijikata. He was sitting on a bench near a park watching some kids on a playground.  
After noticing him I contemplated whether to approach or not.  
I hadn't been able to change yet, but the moment I reached my apartment that would be the first thing on my list of things to do.  
He had already seen me like this, so I sucked up my pride and sat beside him.  
He narrowed his eyes at me, and I shifted my gaze.

"I know why you did that. You got caught didn't you?"  
I silently nodded, and he started to snicker at me.  
"You confessed to Kondou!"

Clenching my teeth I glared at the man.  
He seemed to find the topic hilarious, and I smacked his shoulder with the back of my hand.  
"Don't laugh! I only did it so you wouldn't get in trouble!"  
Still laughing the man nodded, and held a cigarette to his lips.  
"I told you-! I warned you this would happen! But I didn't expect him to make you wear _that_!"

"Shut up! That weirdo shaved my legs because of you! He whipped me, and even told Gintoki we were sleeping together!"  
He continued to laugh until I mentioned Gintoki. Upon hearing the man's name his eyes widened and he stared at me.  
"He told Gintoki?"  
I nodded, and snatched the cigarette away.  
"Yeah... Thanks to him I'm destined to never see another sheet in my life."

I took a long drag of the smoke, and leaned back against the bench.  
"Do you want me to talk to him or something? Not that I care... Just don't want him to get the wrong idea..."

Peering at the man I shook my head.  
"No point... Do you really think he'd even believe it?"  
We sat in silence, staring at the kids. People walked around us, and Hijikata took the cigarette from me.  
"Come on." The man stood up, and I gazed at him.  
"What?"  
"We're gonna fix your sheets."

On the way back to my apartment Hijikata bought me some melon pan.  
It's not fruit, but I figured it was close enough.  
Honestly it was my one of my favorite things to eat.  
The sweet cookie dough, accompanied with the fluffy, tender bread was the perfect combination.  
Momentary bliss washed over me, as I bit into the pastry, completely forgetting my outfit.  
A small smile curled my lips as we started up the stairs together.

When we reached my door I let him in, and started towards the room.  
"You cleaned up... I didn't think you had any time to, seeing as to how you spent the chapters after that night working, and sleeping with me."  
I would have scowled at the man, but the bread was too good to do so.  
Instead I shrugged.  
"There are a lot of words in these chapters. It was bound to happen."

The first thing I did was move to my room and change.  
I pulled a black yukata over myself and opened the door.  
"Okay- So what do you have in mind?"  
Hijikata started down the hallway, peering at me.  
"Like I said, we're gonna fix them."  
"How?" My bread was gone, so I frowned in confusion.  
"Well, it can't be much different then sewing a person, right?"

"I guess..." I didn't know if he was right of not, but I pulled the sheets from the ground.  
"Right here." Pointing to the large rip, I held one edge of the sheet up staring at it curiously.  
The man nodded, and walked to my bathroom. Soon he returned with my sewing kit, and we sat on the bed.  
"Okay... Here's a needle. You sew that side, and I'll sew this one... We'll meet in the middle,a and tie the thread together."

"Wait- Isn't this thread too big?" I peered at him and he shrugged.  
"Does it matter?"  
I wasn't sure, so I just did as instructed.

* * *

It didn't take long for us to freak out.  
Neither of us wanted the other to know how ridiculous our side was looking, so we turned our backs to one another.  
The think white thread didn't make it look any better, and somehow my side was in a worse state then when we started.  
"Oi... How's your side coming?"  
Hijikata's voice made me jump, and I covered it with my hands  
"Fine! It looks great!"  
The man sighed loudly.  
"Uh... Mine too..."

We sat in silence, trying to fix the damage; it didn't help.  
Vowing that I would figure this out, I turned to peer over Hijikata's shoulder.  
If his side was doing so well, he had to have some sort of secret that I didn't know about.  
The moment I saw the fabric over his lap I scowled. It was all bunched up, and uneven.  
"That's not what it's supposed to look like! It didn't look like that when I bought it!"  
The man jumped, and turned to face me.

"Don't peek! I'm not done yet! It's gonna get better! It just looks like this because I'm not finished!"  
The man snatched my side from me, and peered at it blankly.  
"You're one to talk! How the hell did you rip it worse then before?!  
You're supposed to be fixing it! Not tearing it! What the hell..?  
Do you have some scissors over there or something?"

He stared at the shredded ends of the sheet and I crossed my arms.  
"It- It was already like that..."  
"No it wasn't! I saw it before you started!"  
We sighed loudly, ad I fell back onto the bed.  
"This is horrible... It's worse then when we started! This is nothing like sewing a person! You pull too tightly and it looks funny, or rips..."  
"You didn't just pull to tightly! You weren't even sewing that spot!" Hijikata retorted.  
"That doesn't matter. This is hopeless..." I stated.

Giving up I pushed the cover away from myself, and slowly rose to my feet.  
"I'm done with this. Taking a shower..." Exhausted from all of the crap Okita had put the through I started away.  
Hijikata pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and I left the room.

When I finished washing up, I walked to the kitchen.  
Hijikata was laying across the shredded couch poking at the stuffing.  
"So did you ever find out who did this?"  
I nodded silently, and pulled a bottle of juice from the refrigerator  
"Yeah. My sister."

The man peered at me, frowning.  
"Sister?"  
Ignoring him I poured myself a glass, and leaned against the refrigerator.  
We didn't speak for what felt like hours, and eventually he left.  
Nothing much happened and despite my sheets I decided to suck it up, and sleep at my own place for the night.

After placing my weapons on the small table beside my bed I turned the light out and slipped between the not-so-luxurious covers.  
A moment of discomfort passed me, and I stared at the ceiling, sighing loudly.  
_'I don't feel safe... Maybe if I...'_  
Leaning up I pulled one dagger from the nightstand, and slipped it under my pillow; just to feel secure.  
The sheet could still be used, but it didn't cover me completely.  
The comforter wasn't as bad off, but it still had bits of fuzz sticking out of it.  
_'Great!' _  
Sighing to myself I tried to get comfortable.


	9. Sisterly Love

Still enveloped by the darkness of my eyelids, I was snapped awake when the weight on my bed shifted around me.  
"Gin?"  
I hadn't opened my eyes yet, as the world was still hazy, and my voice was barely a whisper.  
When an even darker shadow moved in front of me, I opened my eyes.  
A gasp parted my lips and I stared up at Chizuru.  
The woman held a dark grin, gazing at me from above.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sleep immediately left, me and me pulse quickened.  
"I just wanted to see my little sister... Is that too much to ask?" Snickering to herself, Chizuru moved a hand to her waist.  
"I couldn't see what she was reaching for, but I took the opportunity to move.  
"Stupid bitch..." Growling the words I bucked my hips, and sent her toppling to the floor.  
She cried out in surprise, and I grabbed a dagger from my nightstand; rolling to the other side of the bed.

The woman stabbed a knife into the mattress, as she picked herself up, and I watched her, scowling.  
"Bad move..." Her voice was low, and she stood up.  
"Yeah, on your part... I never guessed my prey would come to me..." I retorted, standing on the other side of the bed.

"Oh, Rei-Chan... You don't sound too happy to see me." Snickering again, the girl started around the bed.  
"I expected a warm greeting... Maybe a home cooked meal... Some sake... You know- Girl talk..."  
Giggling to herself, she tucked one of her arms into the bend of her other, placing a fist to her chin.  
The dagger shone in the light of the moon, and I watched her move.  
"What has gotten into you Chi..? Why the hell would you ransack my apartment? Try to kill me? What was the point of this all?"  
Grief gripped my heart.  
It was obvious that I wanted to kill her. That wasn't even a question. Obvious that I would do so. But in the same breath, she was my sister.  
My only family. The only person who knew the true me; before we went to the dojo. She was also the only one who remembered our parents.

"Gotten into me? All I did was redecorate. It looked much better when I was finished... You're the coward.  
The one who fled your old life in an attempt to be all grown up..._ Important_..." She hissed the last word, and glared at me.

"You know I didn't want to. That's not the point... My kitten-" She quickly cut me off.  
"Oh! Did you like it? I thought it would look better that way!" Stifling a wave of laughter she continued.  
"It- It must have thought I was you!"

Hate creased my brow, and I glared at her.  
"You find it funny? Well... Let's see how funny it is when I take that voice box of yours..."  
She continued to giggle, and slowly strolled to my side; unaware of the dagger I held.  
"Calm down, little one... I'll sing you a bed time song... You know- the one you used to like so much? The one about the night?"  
I watched her, as an eerie, hollow voice broke the heavy silence that had fallen over us.  
She had stopped walking at the end of the bed.

_"A mirror of twilight reflecting the grey,  
Showing the darkness that's taking the day,  
There's no need to worry, no need to fear,  
For, I, your big sister will always be here..."_

Though I wanted to kill her, the thought seemed to be too much to bare.  
I loved her, despite the fact that she was insane. I didn't know what may have happened to her; caused her to become the woman before me.  
I could do nothing but stare at her; despondent.  
She once again started towards me, moving slower then before.  
Why the hell she was singing was beyond me- only adding to her insanity.

_"Rest, little head, on my shoulder, so;_  
_Together we'll be, together we'll grow,_  
_And soon when the night does part for the sun,_  
_Your fears will be quelled... Shadow land gone... "_

The woman stood in front of me, only a breath away.  
She stared into my eyes, and I felt my soul being pulled away from me; twisting in anguish.  
"It's dawn..." I whispered.  
"Huh?" The light from the window revealed her frown and I tightened my grip on the dagger.  
"When the night does part for the DAWN!" Allowing rage to consume me, I crossed the dagger to my left side, and slammed it towards her.  
She lept back, and the dagger crashed into the wall.  
A loud chuckle graced my ears, and a shadow fell over her eyes as she stepped out of the light of the window.

I glared at the curl of her lips; her amusement.  
"It's too late to be playing right now Rei... If you don't go to bed soon, you'll be tired in the morning, and-"  
Snickering she placed hand to her stomach.  
"and Master will make you the dummy for the day again..."

Her taunting only furthered my annoyance, and I growled in frustration.  
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" I lunged towards her, stabbing, and slashing with all of my might.  
The woman just backed away, still laughing.  
Growing tired of her constant evasion, I grasped her yukata, and pulled her closer.  
She froze as I held the knife to her neck, and I willed myself to move.

_'Do it... Come on- Do it! She's not Chi... It's not her- just do it...'_


	10. Sisterly Love Pt2

The internal conflict must have been apparent as I held her. I pushed her back, into the wall, still glaring at her.  
"Rei-Chan... I'm scared... What are you doing? Are you really gonna kill me?"  
Tears began to stream down Chizuru's cheeks, and I tightened my jaw.  
_'She's faking..! It's not true... She came here to kill me- She killed Aiko... I can't listen to her...'_

"I love you... It's still me... Don't hurt me... Let's just talk about this..." The tears continued to pour from her eyes which were squinted with grief.  
I pressed the blade closer to her skin, still unable to go through with it.  
"Rei- Do you remember when we sneaked out of the dojo together to go to the sweets cart?  
We got melon pan, and sweet bean buns... When we got back Master was so mad! He gave us both fifty lashings, and sent us to bed with no dinner...  
But I sneaked that meat bun in, and we shared it in the dark; hoping he wouldn't come in and find us... It's still me..."

Sighing loudly, I averted my gaze. My eyes had begun to burn, and I bit down on my lower lip.  
"Stop Chi... I don't want to hear it... You- You're trying to kill me! And now you stand before me crying? Does that make sense to you?"  
A low sob parted her lips, and she shook her head.

"I'm not trying to kill you... I would never do something like that to you...  
You're my sister- I love you... My only family... I spent so long trying to find you- It was lonely...  
I- I only wanted the sword... But I realized that it's not important...  
We can't let something so trivial come between us.  
We need to stand together. Who can you trust, if not your family? I came to apologize... I was wrong."  
A small gasp took me, and I gazed at her.

"That day we sneaked out- You wore that blue dress that you liked so much, and when we got back master burned it...  
I felt so bad, because I was the one who suggested going out in the first place...  
That man deserved to die- I only did it because of what he did to you... He treated you so badly... It hurt to see you cry..."

"You killed him?" Shock crept over me, and I stared at her wide eyed. The words were barely a gasp, and she nodded.  
"I only did it for you... Because you deserved better... He's the one who sent you away- tore us apart..."

Shaking my head, I felt a tear slide down my cheek.  
"Chi- He treated us that way out of love! He just wanted us to be able to make it in this world! Master-"  
"Ruined our lives!" She interrupted, glaring at me. Her scowl faded into a remorseful stare, and she sighed.  
"He hurt you, Rei... Hurt me... Please forgive me... I just want everything to go back to normal..."

I didn't know what to think. I Peered at the woman, unable to hide my internal torture.  
She placed a hand over my hair, and our eyes met.  
"Forgive me..."  
I loosened my grip on the dagger to her throat and dropped my gaze, nodding.  
Chizuru pulled me into an embrace, and pain shot through me.  
"_Gullible_... _Foolish sister_- _You're soft_..."  
She snarled the words in my ear, snickering to herself.  
I pulled away from her; only to find a blade in my hip.

"Chi... You-" Resentment consumed me, and I jammed my blade into her shoulder.  
The woman cried out, and we glared at one another for a moment.  
Our scowls evolved into a grappling match, and we slammed each other around.  
Her face twisted as though she was a demon, and I pushed my blade deeper, ignoring the pain in my hip.  
"Die- Damn it!" Chizuru retracted her blade, and I grabbed her wrist; preventing her from stabbing me again.

"Your chance is up... You will atone for your sins, sister... Just as I will. But for now- only one will die..."  
I growled the words, and tripped her. She fell backwards beside my bed, and I held the dagger up; pinning hers to the floor with my leg.  
"Wait! Wait! Tel me one thing before you do this- One question!" Panicking Chizuru sat up, and I nodded, still scowling at the woman.

Her lips twisted into a smug smirk, and she peered behind me.  
"Does this smell like chloroform?"  
I frowned down in confusion, and a two hands grabbed me; one around my neck and the other holding a rag to my nose.  
I struggled to free myself, trying to look away, and thrashing the dagger towards Chizuru and whoever was behind me.  
Stabbing towards my own neck was not a good idea, and thought I gripped the large hand over my wind pipe; one hand was not enough to free myself.  
The last thing I felt was my wrist getting grabbed before I passed out.


	11. Love is Overrated

The pungent aroma of ammonia snapped me awake, and I immediately started to struggle; only to find that I couldn't move.  
My hands and feet were restrained, and when I turned to look, I found ropes around my wrists, and ankles.  
A man stood beside the bed holding a rag, and Chizuru leaned against the doorway; smirking.  
"Oh, you're awake! So nice of you to join us!" She started to snicker, and so did the man beside me.  
I peered at the two, not sure of that to expect.  
"Take her clothes off... She needs to be punished for hurting me..." Chizuru scowled as she spoke, and the man muttered an "Okay" in response.  
I couldn't see the man's face, but the moment he leaned towards me I recognized him.

"Kuro! Kuro- What the hell-" He immediately smacked me, and my face began to burn.  
"Shut up." He mumbled, placing a blade to my skin.  
I continued to try to struggle, as he started to cut through my underclothes.  
My yukata was already open, providing easy access, and as I fought against him, he pushed another rag back to my face.

Despite my attempts to move away, I fell asleep.

* * *

"Do it- Now!"  
_"This isn't what we said we would do..."_  
"Shut up! I didn't ask you what we said! Kill her!"  
_"Why don't we just have some fun with her for now?"_  
"Fun? Like what?"  
_"I don't know... Humiliate her before she dies? Something different. You've been waiting for this moment for a while..."_

I could hear the voices, but was unable to open my eyes.  
I didn't know what was going on, but the air was cold, and I still couldn't move.  
A rag was pushed back to my face, and I snapped awake, struggling.  
My body writhed in pain, and I stopped moving wondering what the hell was going on.

"My, my, sister- You're rather disobedient... It's kind of cute- in a train wreck sort of way..."  
Peering down at myself, I found that I was naked. Definitely naked. Undeniably vulnerable.  
One of my wrists were slit- but the idiot that had done it did a bad job of it. I could still move my left hand, it just wasn't as strong...  
Non-existent energy reserves depleted at an amazing speed, as I struggled to free myself.

"What the fuck is this?! The hell are you trying to do?! CHIZURU! I'LL-" Another slap to the face cut me off, and I clenched my teeth.  
"I should call Shinsuke and tell him you're ready now!" Laughing loudly, the woman walked to my closet.  
"But I guess I can't do that, huh? Shin-Kun seemed pretty mad last time..."

My hip ached, and I peered down at it, noting the blood that was spilling onto my mattress.  
"Damn it..."  
Chizuru turned to peer at me as I spoke and I scowled at her.  
"Damn it Chi! I just had to buy another bed! Yeah, that was 35 chapters ago- But that wasn't that long!"

The woman started to snicker, and nodded.  
"Okay, okay... But aren't you more worried about what we're gonna do to you?"  
The words caused my heart to drop, and my scowl to deepen.  
"What you're gonna do? No... I don't care... As long as I have your head in the end... And I _will_..."  
I spat the words, and she chuckled.  
"Big talk for someone who's naked. But that's okay... You will beg for your life before this night is over... And I will take it."  
Shrieks of laughter filled the air, and I felt myself grow blind with rage.

She quickly unsheathed her sword- My sword- an pointed it at me.  
"You never expected this blade to take your life, did you?"  
I watched her, as she walked to the foot of the bed, and placed the edge against my skin.  
The metal was cold, and the light of the moon gleamed brightly, reflecting a bar of silver across the wall.  
"Torture seems fit... Maybe even seppuku... But before you go, we should play..."  
Chizuru shrieked an eerie laugh, and I glared at her as the blade slowly slipped across my skin.  
Though I didn't want to give her the pleasure of seeing me in pain, slow cuts were always the worst; you could feel every single bit of flesh part.  
Beads of blood began to pool across the injury, and trail down my side towards my back.  
It was a shallow slice across my stomach, and when she reached the wound on my hip she dug into it,  
causing me to cry out with more force then before.

Laughing at my outburst, Chizuru placed the blade back at the top of the cut, and started to slide it back along the gash; deeper.  
I clenched my fists, as well as all of my muscles, trying not to make a sound. Her lips were slightly parted, and twisted in an amused grin.  
The moon light illuminated her eyes, which were widened into a deranged stare.  
"Chi-Chan... She might pass out. Don't go too far yet, we haven't done anything."  
A low murmur from beside the bed caused me to narrow my eyes at the man.  
She also peered at him, nodding silently.

Stepping away from me Chizuru sheathed the sword, giggling.  
"Okay, okay... You can have your fun. But the moment you're finished, it's my turn again... I'll watch. "  
She leaned against the door way, crossing her arms.  
The red yukata she wore appeared to be brown when she stepped out of the light, and I shifted my gaze between the two.  
Nobody had moved yet, and I waited to see what the hell would happen.

"Hurry up, Ku-Chan... My patience wearing thin..." Shifting her attention to me she grinned.  
"We're going to savor every drop of agony, and every little scream... So don't hold back..."  
I peered up at the man as she spoke, and he started to disrobe himself.  
Panic stirred within me, but in the same breath I maintained an oddly calm charade; glaring at the pair.  
Working at the rope over my left wrist I started to reach towards my nightstand.  
It was an impossible distance, but then it dawned on me.  
_'I put a dagger under my pillow... I fell asleep holding it...'_

Easing my hand under the pillow I glared at Chizuru; being careful to make it look as though I was still struggling.  
I grabbed the handle of a small dagger and turned it to the rope around me.  
The rope dug into my wrist, but I didn't care; I had to break free.  
Kuro started to crawl over me, and I scowled at him; sawing at the rope with all my might; thankful that the blade was sharp.

"You're not going to enjoy this..." The man whispered the words in my ear, and placed a hand at my throat.  
I studied his short light hair, and his glasses gleamed in the light.  
The rope grew loose, and a grin curled my lips.  
I stopped, and repositioned the dagger; pointing it towards him.  
"What the hell are you smiling for?" Kuro spoke in his usual murmur, and I narrowed my eyes at the man.  
"This..." Without warning, I slammed the blade into the top of his shoulder.  
He jumped back, a low cry of pain flowing from his lips as he grasped the wound. Chizuru ran to his side.  
"What happened?!"  
"Bitch stabbed me..." He murmured.  
Ignoring the two I started sawing at my other wrist.  
The attention seemed to have shifted from me, giving me just enough time to free myself.  
I broke the rope faster then the previous one, and Chizuru lunged at me.  
"How dare you hurt him! What the fuck-"  
Punching her, I shoved the woman to the floor.  
I stabbed Kuro again, in his forearm, and he cried out in a disturbingly low voice.  
Chizuru started to get up; placing a hand on the bed, and I rammed the knife through it.  
She screamed in pain, and I grabbed the Glock from my night stand.  
To my advantage, the small table was concealed in the dark of night; they had probably been to careless to notice it,  
or even check for weapons I could easily access.

The woman ducked down, as I fired at her, and Kuro scrambled away.  
My clip seemed to be low on bullets, and I quickly reloaded.  
Chi freed herself, grabbed his clothes, and the two dashed towards the door.  
I continued to fire at them, and they could be heard running away.  
Kuro screamed, and soon the front door was slamming behind them.  
Knowing I couldn't take the time to go to sleep (I was truly exhausted) I started to loosen the ropes around my ankles.

Standing up, I pulled a black yukata from the floor, and grabbed my phone.  
I called Hijikata, and slipped my shoes on as I waited for him to answer.  
"What?" A groggy annoyed voice greeted me, and I sighed.  
"I just got a visit from my sister... "  
"What happened?" He still sounded as though he was sleeping, but the man sighed, and movement could be heard on the his side of the line.  
"Well, she gave me enough sisterly love to make me bleed all over the damn place..."

Grabbing my keys and strapping the gun and a dagger to my thighs, I started out of the room.  
I hadn't bothered to fully redress myself, just tied the yukata closed, and left.

"Are you okay? Do you need stitches?" His concern was apparent and I closed the door behind myself.  
"Probably... You're probably gonna get another call too... Gunshots. I'm not gonna be here though..."  
He remained silent and I started down the stairs. It didn't take long to realize that I needed to take a moment to rest my hip.  
The pain had become unbearable, and I leaned against the rail.  
"Do you need me to come get you or something? What happened? Where are you hurt?"  
Sighing loudly I peered at the moon overhead.  
"Where am I not hurt?" Despite the situation, I let a bitter laugh part my lips.  
"I doubt I can make it to the Senshingumi... Or through your window tonight... Anyway, I'll be damned if Okita makes me dress up in the morning."

After a moment of silence I pushed my self from the rail, and continued down the stairs.

"Look, don't worry about me...  
I only called because I thought I would be able to make it there, but climbing a fence isn't a good idea right now... I'm going to Gintoki..."

"I wasn't worried... Call if you need anything... Or you can't make it..." His words were a sigh, and I finally reached the bottom of the stairs.  
"Will do."

* * *

It took about ten minuted to reach the Yorozura, and when I did, I knocked against the door.  
Too tired to stand, I leaned against the wall; waiting.  
Nobody answered and I knocked again, growing impatient.  
Footsteps approached me, and the moment the door opened I leaned up; trying to stand straight.  
"Rein-San! What are you doing here?" Shinpachi answered the door, obviously tired, and I peered at him.  
"Shinpachi..."  
Unable maintain a strong stance, I released myself; falling towards him.  
I wrapped my arms around the boy, wanting nothing more then to fall asleep and he freaked out.  
"What are you doing?! What's wrong?!"  
"Didn't I tell you not to add the San?" I murmured.


	12. People Hate Spending Money

Shinpachi had carried me inside, and laid me on the couch. I was barely awake, and he turned the light on.  
"Gin-San! Gin-San, get up!"  
The boy rushed to Gintoki's door, and slid it open.

The door to the closet opened as well, and Kagura's head poked out.  
"Why the hell are you yelling this late at night?!" Her gaze settled on me, and the girl frowned.  
"Eyebrow-San? Eyebrow-San what happened? What's wrong?!"  
I peered at the girl, unsure of how to answer.  
Should I just say, I'm probably just bleeding to death?  
Or maybe my sister stabbed the hell out of me, and proceeded to be creepy in ways no sister should ever dare?  
"Nothing... I'm just a little hurt... That's all."  
The girl nodded, and crawled from the closet.

"_Why the hell are you waking me up?! The sun isn't even up yet!_" Gintoki could be heard yelling, and I sighed.  
"But Gin-San-" Shinpachi tried to explain but was quickly interrupted.  
"You do this earlier and earlier every morning! Tomorrow you're probably going to wake me up half an hour after I go to sleep!"  
"No- Gin-San, Rein is here..."  
"Rein? What does she want? Does she know what time it is?" Gintoki asked.  
"Stop worrying about the time- she needs our help."  
_"Help? With what? Is her clock broken?! Does she need a watch?!"_

Kagura walked over to me, followed by Sadaharu. The two gazed at me, and I gazed back wondering what they would do.  
"Eyebrow-San... You're bleeding..."  
I nodded at the girl, and Sadaharu walked to my head. Before I knew it, he bit me.  
I always expected it to happen, but not at a time like this.  
The dog's teeth dug into my forehead, and I just laid there; too tired to move.  
"He likes you!" Kagura smiled at me, and I forced a lazy smirk in response; completely ignoring the large dog that had my head in it's mouth.

"Yeah- Fine! Don't mind her! She's just dying on our couch, I'm sure it'll be okay!"  
Shinpachi yelled the words and was met with a confused response.  
"Dying? Like completely? Completely, or just a little bit?" Gin asked.  
"JUST A LITTLE BIT?! DOES THAT EVEN MAKE SENSE TO YOU?!"

"Oh, okay. I'll guess I'll go check it out..." Gintoki spoke in a relatively flat tone, and Shinpachi continued to yell at him.  
"CHECK IT OUT!? THIS ISN'T LIKE A MONSTER UNDER THE BED, OR A GHOST!  
THERE'S A WOMAN BLEEDING ALL OVER OUT COUCH RIGHT NOW! DO YOU WANT TO HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER?! "

The mention of buying a couch seemed to be enough motivation for Gintoki to jump out of bed, and rush to my side.  
"What happened to you?! Are you okay?!"  
He hit Sadaharu on the nose, and when the dog released me Gintoki picked me up.  
Forcing my head up to look at him, I sighed.  
"You're just worried about the couch..."

I was met with a soft smile in response.  
"No... There's something more important right now..."

Gintoki carried me to his room, Kagura and Shinpachi hot on his trail.  
"Is she gonna be okay? Is Eyebrow-San gonna die?!" Kagura was the first to speak, and Gintoki shook his head.  
"It takes more then this to kill her... You two leave the room- I need to see what's wrong..."  
I lazily peered at them, past his arm, and they nodded.  
"Shinpachi, Bring me some medical supplies- Anything you can find."  
"Okay." The boy started from the room, and Kagura stood in the door way.  
"Gin-Chan, what can I do?"  
He peered at her for a moment before responding.  
"Boil some water."  
"Yes Sir!" She charged from the room and I gazed up at him.

"I'm not going into labor- I'm bleeding..."  
He nodded, and laid me down on his futon.  
"I'm kinda hungry- I want some rice."  
Our eyes met, and I stared at him for a moment before allowing a small snicker to shake me.

"You would be thinking about food at a time like this..."  
Standing up Gintoki walked to the door.  
"Gin-San, here! This is all I could find..."  
I didn't turned to look at Shinpachi, or Gintoki.  
I could hear the two exchange an item, and the door slid shut.

The room had a slight chill to it, and I placed my palms flat on the bed, as though I was holding onto reality.  
The wounds didn't feel serious, I had been through worse, but the urge to sleep was growing undeniably stronger.  
Gintoki knelt down beside me, and started pulling my robes open.  
For some reason, I though he was being perverted. Maybe the exhaustion had made me loopy.  
I weakly pushed his hand away, snickering.  
"Noo- Not here. The kids are still out there. They'll hear us."  
Gintoki peered down at me frowning.  
"Stupid, your wounds! I'm not doing anything like that!"  
"Oh." I shifted my gaze, not finding any response.

When he pulled the yukata apart, I draped my arms over myself.  
Sighing loudly Gintoki pushed my hands away.  
"You're... What happened to you..? Your hip..." His hand traced over my skin, and I barely moved away from him.  
"Oh I don't know... I fell out of bed..." My voice was low, and the man nodded silently.  
Reaching to a box at his side he grabbed a small clear bottle, and needle.

"Gin-Chan! I have the water!"  
Gintoki pulled my robe closed as Kagura ran into the room, holding a metal pot.  
"Okay. put it on the floor over there..." He pointed to a spot just a little ways away, and Kagura nodded.  
The girl placed the pot on the floor, and left the room.  
Soon Gintoki was picking me up. He pull the yukata from around me, and laid me on the Tatami mats, beside the pot.  
"This is gonna hurt..." His voice was low, and he unscrewed the top of the bottle he had been holding.  
The man quickly poured it over me, and my entire body seemed to be on fire.  
I yelped with pain, and my body immediately tensed, writhing at the sensation.  
"Fuck! Gintoki! What the hell is that?!" Glaring at the man I was met with a small frown.  
He held the bottle towards me, it read 'Vodka, 5 Times Distilled'.  
I sighed loudly as he dipped a cloth in the water Kagura had boiled.

The man silently cursed, probably at the temperature, and wrung the cloth out.  
He proceeded to wipe my scars down, and returned the rag to the bowl.  
"Wait- this too..." I held my wrist up, an he inspected it silently.  
"This is pretty bad... You sure you don't want to go to the doctor?"  
I shook my head, and laid my wrist in his lap.  
"Just help me out so I can leave...


	13. Lies Can be Cute

Gintoki allowed me to sleep with him for the night.  
The man shared his bed with me, and wrapped his arms around my torso; kinda like old times.  
(Though old times were really just a few days ago.)  
Every now and then I would be awoken by the light, and assumed that he was checking on me.

When morning arrived, I sat up, not surprised to find the man still sleeping beside me.  
My hip ached, and each movement of my wrist seemed to sting.  
The cuts from Okita shaving my legs didn't seem to help at all; only heightening my discomfort.  
A dull grey light filled the room from the window, and I sighed.  
Gintoki was breathing steadily beside me, lost deep in a dream.  
Peering down at the man I was thankful that he had been such help, but at the same time I didn't want to stay.  
I laced my hand through the man's hair, playing with his white curls.  
The entire time I was contemplating leaving, such as how to sneak out, or if Shinpachi was awake.

After a moment of thought, I lifted the covers off of myself and rolled onto the tatami mats.  
A jolt of pain shot through me, causing me to cringe, and I remained in place; waiting for it to subside.  
Gintoki stirred, and I glanced at the man.  
He was laying on his stomach, as he had draped an arm over me, and my movement seemed to be enough to wake him.  
He lazily opened his eyes, and gazed at me. Without a word, he gripped my wrist, not caring about the wound.  
I scowled at him, ignoring the burn of his touch.  
"Where do you think you're going?"

_'Not this again...'_  
This was practically a remake of chapter three. I already knew what was going to happen.  
He would shove me into the back of a police car, and take my sword.  
Wait- no, my sword was already stolen, and he's not a cop.  
The man leaned up, and released a yawn.  
"I'm going back to my apartment. Hopefully Chizuru will be back, and I'll kill them both..."  
"Both?" Gintoki raised an eyebrow at me, only appearing to be half interested.  
"Yeah... She brought her boyfriend along last night. Somebody who used to train with us."  
The man offered a slight nod, and released me.

"It's stupid to go looking for fights right now... But that has nothing to do with me- I don't care."  
returning his nod, I started to raise to my feet.  
"Unless you want to come back to bed... Rest like you should."

I peered at the man unsure of how to react.  
"Well... Toushi is probably kinda worried. I called him last night, so he knows what happened."  
Scowling, Gintoki shifted his gaze.  
"Of course. You and Oogushi-Kun. Yeah, I get it." The man sighed loudly, and stood up.  
He walked in front of me, and I crossed my arms.  
"What?"

Without a word he gripped my shoulders, tugged me off balance and forced me back into the bed.  
"Damn it- What the- You said you didn't care! You said it was okay!"  
Struggling only furthered my pain, and I gave up.  
Laying down beside me, the man wrapped me in his arms, lacing a leg around mine.  
"I lied." He nuzzled into my neck and I shifted my gaze.  
_'What the hell do I do now? What am I supposed to say? He can't still... What the fuck- he's fucking with my head again!'_

"You think I'm gonna let you go get in bed with him? He'd probably just feed you mayonnaise until you feel better...  
You've got more chance surviving with me... I'll give you something _waaayyy_ better... Something that you crave...  
That will make your body writhe with pleasure... You'll forget you're even hurt once you start..."  
He spoke in a low, sultry tone, and my heart started to pound.

"Wh- What?" I leaned away from the man, staring at him wide eyed.  
He peered up at me, holding a look of pure lust. His eyes were slightly squint, and he smirked.  
The man inched closer to my ear, and seductively breathed the words.  
"Strawberry milk..."  
I narrowed my eyes at him, half in confusion, and half in a mixture of disappointment, and relief.  
He started to snicker, laying his head back down.  
"And sleep."


	14. Stalkers Are Made For Humor

"AIEE! GIN-CHAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"  
And immediate crash caused me to jump straight out of bed. Well, that and the screaming.  
Gintoki jumped as well, and we both gawked at the scene before us.  
A certain purple haired ninja had crashed through the ceiling, and was sitting on the floor looking thoroughly stumped.  
"Ah! My glasses! Damn- maybe over here... No over here?"  
The woman lifted herself to her knees, and started to slide her hands through the rubbish of the ceiling,  
searching for said glasses, and I stared at her dumbfounded.  
The sudden intrusion caused my heart to race, and I peered at Gintoki who was looking just as startled as me.  
Anger immediately twisted his face, and he jumped to his feet.

"Damn it! Sarutobi! What the hell are you doing!?"  
"I came to see Gin-Chan, but he was in bed with that other woman! You just wait till I find my glasses!"  
The woman continued to frantically search the floor, and I cleared my throat.  
"Well, this is... Nice." I peered at Gintoki frowning, and Sarutobi turned to face the door.  
"No body spoke to you! You get away from my Gin-Chan!"

The woman lunged towards me, and I backed away; only to be pulled into a tight embrace.  
My wounds began to ache, and I stared down at her, puzzled.  
Her arms were wrapped over mine, which were just kinda sticking out; not knowing where to go.

"Ohh! Gin-San, how could you do this to me?! I know you're just trying to make me jealous!  
It's not gonna work! I already know you love me! Don't be so shy!"

The woman spoke with a huge grin, and started rubbing her head all over me.  
Needless to say I had no clue what to do.  
"Your solid abs, soft skin, and woman-like torso!"  
She was rubbing her face... In my boobs...  
"Oi! Get off of her! You're gonna kill her!" Gintoki started shouting. He rushed behind her, and started tugging at her clothes.

I couldn't help but start yelling as well. Things like "What the fuck are you doing?!" or "Get the fuck off of me!" but she didn't seem to hear me.  
I flailed my arms around to the best of my ability, and peered up at Gintoki, pleading with my eyes for help.  
"Wait... This is..." Taking one of her arms from around me, Sarutobi placed a palm on my chest.  
"This is... A..." She continued to 'get a feel for it' and I stared down at her completely mortified.  
My face started to burn, and I clenched my fists. Before she could utter a single word, I punched the hell out of her; as hard as possible.

Sarutobi was knocked back; on her ass, and stared at me.  
"Y-You're not Gin-Chan! You- You were trying to deceive me! Trying to make me look bad in front of him!"  
Gintoki grabbed her red-framed glasses form the floor, and brought a large fist down on the top of her head.  
The woman slumped over, and he grabbed her collar.  
"Sorry." After muttering the word, he started dragging her away.

I stared after the two, frowning.  
_'What the hell was that?!'  
_When Gintoki returned he sighed loudly.  
"Damn stalker... At least it isn't a gorilla, but it's still annoying as shit."  
He walked back to the bed, and I peered up at him.  
"Does that happen often?"  
He nodded, and slipped under the covers.  
"Yeah, some nights I'll wake up to her just sitting there... Staring at me. She's stolen hair brushes before too."

I couldn't help but snicker at him. He glared at me, and I bit down on my lips, trying to stop.  
"It's not funny. Look at that ceiling!"  
I glanced up at the wide round opening, that led straight outside; it only caused me to laugh harder.  
"OI! It's not funny! Why would you laugh at that?! She never repairs these kinds of things herself! Who do you think has to pay for it all?!"

"F- Forgive me! I just- At least you have a good view!" Unable to contain myself I started to laugh- full force.  
The man stared at me slightly alarmed.  
"Why are you doing that? You never do that... This must be a bad omen..."  
Stopping I stared at him for a second.  
The shocked expression he was making only tickled me more, and I couldn't help but laugh again.  
My hip started to ache, and I placed my left hand over it, as if that might stop it.  
A soft smile curled Gintoki's lips, and he placed a hand on my back.

"Hey, you hungry or something? I kinda am..."  
I nodded, my wave of laughter finally passing. It was true that I didn't normally succumb to a fit of giggles, but such an unexpected awakening seemed like it deserved such recognition.  
"Yeah... We should get some melon pan... and fruit..."  
Gintoki stared at me for a moment before nodding.  
Soon, we were getting up. The man got dressed quickly, but I hadn't fully clothed myself the previous night.  
I only had my yukata, and he knew it.  
"Erm... I don't wanna go out like this..." I motioned to the yukata, and he stared at me for a moment.  
"Maybe you'd be more comfortable if you took it off..." He started towards me, making alarmingly grab-like motions with his hands.  
I wrapped my arms over my yukata, scowling.  
"Not a chance in hell! Cut it out!"  
He didn't stop, but when he reached me, he wrapped his arms around me.  
I stared up at the man, unsure of what to expect or how to react.  
"Admit it... You like being around me..."

I couldn't just say yes. Truthfully, I still felt as though he wasn't meant for me.  
The fact that I was still a murderer didn't help at all.  
Kawakami may have stated otherwise, but nobody else could hear my 'song' nor would they care.  
Songs don't reveal things like that unless they have a singer. And I wasn't exactly a singer...  
I bit down on my lower lip, and shifted my gaze.  
"I never said that... We hate each other remember?"  
Sighing loudly Gintoki let me go, and started towards the door.  
"Yeah, I remember."

* * *

After leaving the Yorozura we went straight to my apartment.  
The moment we walked inside Gintoki stated pointing out the bullet holes in the walls; as if I didn't know.  
"Well, I was sort of... Restrained at the time, so I couldn't aim from my room."  
"Restrained?" He asked, and I nodded.  
He followed me to my room, and as I started to pull a fresh pair of clothes from my closet,  
he grabbed one of the ropes, which were still connected to the rail of the futon.  
"Huh... You weren't lying... We should try something like this one day."  
I turned to glare at him over my shoulder, and he shrugged.

Returning my attention to the closet, I pushed one of the broken doors out of the way.  
"You know, I want to move. Can't wait to see the look on the land lord's face when he see's this place."  
Gintoki snickered behind me, as I opened the briefcase, taking care not to show him the weapons again.  
I grabbed one of the necklaces Kawakami had given me, and shoved them between the folds of the yukata in my hand.  
Next I grabbed some money, and three of the daggers, (as that seemed to be my weapon of choice lately) and underwear.  
I turned back to the man, and he was staring at me blankly.

"Turn around, pervert."  
Gintoki frowned at me, and shook his head.  
"It doesn't matter, I've already seen it."  
Scowling, I threw one of the daggers at him, (well, at the wall behind him) and it stuck into the drywall.  
The man glanced at the black leather wrapped handle, and me wide eyed before turning away.  
"Sheesh, Watch where you're throwing those things! You don't have to be so secretive! You coulda just told me you wanted privacy or something!"  
"I did!" I responded.

When I was sure he wasn't looking, I started to change.  
I pushed the money and necklace into my pocket, determined to sell it.  
After slipping my combat boots on, and adjusting my weapons I sighed.  
"You can have that, by the way..."  
Gintoki turned to face me, and I motioned to the dagger in the wall.  
"You've got a unique way of giving gifts..." He mumbled the words, and pulled it from it's resting place.  
"Not a gift. Payment for helping me last night."  
"I don't want payment." Gintoki stopped studying the black and silver handle of the blade, and peered at me.

Walking past the man I returned his gaze.  
"Fine. Consider it a gift. Katsura said you used to own one like it, that's the only reason I bought it."

I continued out of the room, and he followed behind me.  
"Wait- You know Zura? Did he tell you how I lost it?"  
I glanced at the samurai over my shoulder, noting the concerned tone of his voice.  
"No... He didn't... Why?"  
Shifting his gaze, Gintoki shook his head.  
Despite the fact that my curiosity had been successfully piqued, I decided not to push it.


	15. A Morning Together

The streets were packed with people, as usual, and Gintoki and I slowly moved through them.  
We came across a small food cart on the side of the street, and stopped to get my sweets.  
"Five melon pan." I peered at the man behind the counter and he nodded.  
"Five?! You're gonna eat five of them?"  
Gintoki placed a hand on my shoulder, and I glanced at him for a second before paying the man at the cart.  
After taking my bag from the man I reached into it and pulled one out.  
"Shut up." I shoved one of the breads in Gintoki's face, and he grabbed it, frowning at me.

We continued down the street, until we reached a small convenience store.  
Once inside I turned to Gintoki, who was silently eating the pastry.  
"What sorts of things do Kagura and Shinpachi like to eat?"  
He peered at me blankly for a moment, taking another bite of the bread.  
He appeared to be thinking and once he swallowed his food he shrugged.  
"The brat like Sukonbu. But Glasses... He's kinda plain. I don't know, get him some cardboard of something."  
"Cardboard?" Frowning I turned away and started towards the produce isle.  
I grabbed a bag of mixed fruit; containing multiple colors of apples and oranges.  
"You want some too right?" I glanced at Gintoki who nodded.  
The man walked away, and grabbed a container of strawberries.  
Following behind him I grabbed a bag of cherries.  
"Oi, grab one of those small watermelons too."  
Gintoki peered at me, raising an eyebrow.  
"Those things cost a fortune! What are you getting all of this for?"  
Flashing him an annoyed expression I sighed.  
"To eat. Why else? Any way, I have a little extra to spend..."

Ignoring the man's obvious curiosity, I started away.  
"He can share our fruit then... Maybe we'll find something he'd like..."  
Gintoki trailed behind me as I grabbed some sukonbu for Kagura, we also got pocky sticks, and strawberry milk.  
"Oi, are you sure you can buy all of this?"  
Gintoki had been trailing behind me the whole time, but he quickened his pace, walking by my side.  
"Yeah. What are they gonna do? Stop me?"  
We settled on a box of rice balls for Shinpachi. It seemed like the most plain thing we found.

* * *

Sharing the bags on the way back, I asked Gintoki to wait outside as I went into a small jewelry store.  
He seemed annoyed, obviously impatient, but I knew that I should sell the necklace as quickly as possible.  
The store was covered in glass display cases, and a single man stood behind the far counter.  
He wore a plain white business shirt, which barely covered his plump belly.  
His short brown hair seemed to be receding before my eyes, and I walked up to him.  
When I handed the man the necklace with the pearls in it he looked as though his eyes would pop out of his head.  
I frowned in confusion, as he grabbed a small lens to place over his eye.  
"Young lady... Where did you get such a necklace? It must have seen the turn of the century!"  
I continued to stare at him, not sure of how to respond.  
After a moment of silence, I sighed.  
"I want to sell that..."  
The man stopped ogling the pearl necklace, and nodded enthusiastically.  
His grin practically covered the entirety of his face, and excitement seemed to drip from his pores.  
I crossed my arms, unable to stop frowning. The man offered a high payout, but now I wondered what I would need it all for.  
"Erm... Do you have some charity slips here? For like... Starving children or something?"  
"Yes ma'am!"

* * *

When I exited the store, Gintoki was eating his strawberries.  
"Took you long enough." The man peered down at me, and I sighed.  
"It didn't even take ten minutes."  
Instead of answering me, he shoved another berry into his mouth.  
"Let's head back to your place..." I glanced at him as I spoke, and he nodded.

When we reached the Yorozura Kagura was watching TV. I gave her the Sukonbu, and one of the melon pan.  
She was ecstatic to receive the unexpected treat, and immediately started to unwrap and consume the kelp; at an alarming pace.  
"Eyebrow-San you really got all of these for me?" The girl stared up at me, bright eyed and I offered a small smile.  
"No, Gintoki got them..."  
My answered confused her, and she looked at Gintoki.  
"Really?"  
He gazed at me for a second before nodding.  
Kagura lept up from the couch, and hugged him.  
"Thank you Gin-Chan! You might be a good for nothing perm, but!"  
her sentence appeared to be over, and I frowned in confusion.  
"Oi! OI! You didn't add anything good on there! You just cut it off where it was supposed to say something good!"  
Gintoki shouted down at the girl, and I couldn't help but laugh at the two.  
They both stopped, and peered at me oddly.  
I placed the tips of my fingers over my lips in an attempt to hide my amusement.  
Ignoring their curious stares, I laid the box of rice balls and Shinpachi's melon pan in the refrigerator.  
The boy wasn't there, apparently he had gone out with his sister.

Gintoki and I returned to his room, and laid our fruit on the plastic bags.  
We sat on the floor opposite of each other, sorting through our food.  
"So... How do you want to do this?" I asked, gazing at the silvered haired man.  
He shrugged, stuffing a strawberry into his mouth.  
"What do you mean?"  
Ignoring the fact that he had spoken with his mouth full, I pointed to our snacks.  
"I want to put everything in the melon, and then eat it."  
"Too complicated." He answered.  
Rolling my eyes I pulled one of the daggers from my thighs.  
"Get a bowl. I'll make you one too."  
He stared at me for a second before nodding, and leaving the room.

When he returned I halved the melon, and diced the contents, as well as some of the fruit.  
It only took a few minutes to finish cutting, and I returned everything to the melon shells.  
He watched me the whole time, until I handed him his 'bowl'.  
The man muttered a thanks, and we started to eat.

* * *

"Oi, Gin-Chan! Mayora-San is here!"  
I turned to face the door, as Kagura's voice called to Gintoki.  
Moment's later said door was sliding open. Hijikata walked in, and peered down at me.  
"Well, you look a lot better then you sounded last night."  
I nodded, and motioned for him to sit with us.  
"Well, it wasn't to bad. I mostly wore myself out I guess."  
Opting not to add the fact that I was tied up, I shifted my attention to the fruit bowl.  
Hijikata sat down beside me, and I showed him my melon half.  
"Would you like some? No mayonnaise though..."  
He stared at the fruit, and Gintoki.  
"Why not? Mayo would really accentuate the flavor of the fruit..."  
I scowled at the man, and he returned my expression.  
"What? Have you ever tried it?! Don't knock it before you try it!"  
Sighing loudly I peered at Gintoki who was now eating in silence.

The Yorozura was glaring at his fruit, and I wondered why.  
Grabbing a piece of melon with my chopsticks, I held it up for Hijikata.  
"Come on, Toushi. Just try to eat without mayonnaise. You might _not _die from clogged arteries."  
Glaring at me, the man took the fruit from my chop sticks (with his hand), and popped it into his mouth.  
After a few seconds, he sighed.  
"It could of been better..."  
Rolling my eyes, I continued to eat.  
"Are you two just gonna gorge yourselves on junk food? No rice? No meat?"  
"This isn't junk food!" I retorted.  
"You're one to talk." Gintoki stated, narrowing his eyes at Hijikata and placing his bowl on the ground.

"Shut up. I've never seen you eat real food before; just candy, and sweet beans."  
Hijikata reached into his pocket, puling out a pack of cigarettes.  
"Sweet beans are real food! So is candy! It's not imaginary!"

I peered between the two men, unsure of what to say.

Surprisingly my phone started to ring, and both men stared at me.  
Peering at my wrist pouch I took it out, and stared at the screen.  
"Moshi Moshi."  
After a moment of silence the person spoke.  
"Oi, Rein. It's me..."  
It was Kawakami and I peered at Gintoki for a moment before turning away.  
"What do you want?" I couldn't help but sound a little rude.  
Though we had accomplished our last job with ease, I wasn't exactly over everything that had happened before that.  
"We have a job for you... You should come by, I dare say."  
Sighing loudly I placed my watermelon half on the tatami mat beneath me.  
"Why? Better yet, why don't we meet somewhere else? How did you get my number?"

"Otsu. Shinsuke will explain... But I must warn you, he's not exactly..."  
Kawakami paused for a moment and sighed.  
"Right... right now."

Glancing at Gintoki, and Hijikata I found that both of the men were still watching me.  
"Right? What do you mean?" I asked, not trying to sound too interested.  
"Just come over. He's getting kind of... Annoyed."  
Once again, I sighed.  
"Fine. But if this is some sort of trap-"  
"It's not." He cut me off, and I nodded.  
"We'll see..." My answer received a humorous snort in response, and soon we hung up.

Without any explanation I stood up; ignoring the ache of my wounds.  
"Toushi, you can put mayonnaise on the fruit, or whatever. I'm leaving."  
He nodded in response, and Gintoki shifted his gaze.  
I walked over to the man, and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
When Gintoki gazed up at me I offered a small smile.  
"I appreciated your assistance last night."  
He stared up at me, giving a slight nod.

"Oi, hand me that."  
I pointed to the dagger on the ground, and Gintoki hesitated to grab it.  
I waited, without pointing out his reluctance, and soon he held it up for me.  
After wiping the fruit juices off on a small rag from my wrist pouch, I pushed the blade into my thigh strap.  
Not a word was said as I left the room.


	16. Drinking Solves Nothing

When I arrived at the warehouse, Kawakami let me in.  
He immediately handed me a sword, which I strapped to my waist.  
"He's in his room, as usual." Something seemed to be off.  
Whatever it was, it wasn't obvious, but Kawakami seemed distressed.  
I frowned in confusion, peering up at him.  
"What? What is it?"

He appeared to be looking at me as well, and he sighed loudly.  
"You'll see... When you get up there. Just- Don't expect a normal meeting... Let yourself in, don't even bother to knock..."

I nodded, still frowning.  
As instructed, I walked up the metal stairs, and to Takasugi's room.  
Instead of knocking, I opened the door, and entered the room.  
"Sir, I have arrived. What is it that-" I stopped mid sentence when I saw Takasugi.  
He sat at the table, cheeks flushed, and lazy eyed.  
A bottle of liquor was placed on the table in front of him, and he was leaned back in his chair.  
"Oh. You're here... Sit down, talk to me."

The fact that he was speaking in such a casual manner alarmed me, and I nodded.  
Promptly walking to the chair across from him, I pulled it out.  
"Not so far away- I'm not gonna bite you... Sit right here." He motioned one of the chairs between us, and I frowned.  
I hesitantly pushed the seat in my hands back, and sat where he instructed. His words were slightly slurred.  
I didn't know whether I should be more on guard then usual, or take it as an opportunity to be lax.

"Oi... You took a while to get here. I thought you weren't coming..."  
Shaking my head, I found it unable to conceal my confusion.  
"No sir, I came as soon as I received the call. I apologize if-"  
"Don't apologize. I don't like that sort of thing..."  
Leaning onto the table the man grabbed the liquor.  
"Want some? Here- Don't worry about cups." He pushed the bottle towards me, and I scowled at him.

"I'm not here to drink with you. I wouldn't even drink with you for fun. We aren't exactly on good terms, you know." My statement seemed to surprise him and he peered at me.  
"Come now, we've worked together for almost ten years. Let by gones be by gones."  
I didn't know how to perceive him. Normally this man was up tight, and strict; straight to business.  
But from where I sat, he appeared to be a normal man. A very intoxicated, normal man.

"Sir, I recall the mention of a job. Was there anything in particular that you needed me to do?"  
I glanced at him, and he leaned up, frowning.  
"Um... Yeah... There was..."  
I waited for him to speak, but he sat in silence, staring at the table.

"Something about a guy... He didn't pay for his shipment."  
I continued to wait. Not wanting to push him too far.  
Because of his odd behavior, I wasn't sure what to expect from him, which caused me to automatically prepare for a fight.  
One thing I was sure of was that he would never get the satisfaction of chocking me, or almost killing me again.  
He would be the one in a bind next time, and the pleasure would be mine, if the opportunity presented itself.  
Another long moment of silence passed, and he nodded to himself.  
"His daughter. Yeah... You should kidnap her- For ransom. When he pays me, he can have her back."  
He started to snicker to himself and I scowled.  
"And what exactly do you intend to do with her?" Crossing my arms I glared at the man.  
He shrugged, and grabbed the bottle he had placed in front of me.  
"Well, I was _planning_ on taking her into captivity." He eyed me with an irritated expression.  
"Nothing cruel, if that's what you were expecting. I have no interest in the girl, she's rather homely..." He started to chuckle again, and I nodded.

"So she wont be harmed? If I do this, you guarantee her safety?"  
It was obvious that if I refused, he would still have her kidnapped.  
And it was likely that is would be done in the most brutal way possible.  
After taking a swig from the bottle, Takasugi nodded.  
"You expect too much from me, really. Right now, I could care less about the girl. But if you feel so tasked with her safety, there _is_ a spare bed room. We could lock her in there."  
Tilting my head in a nod, I took the bottle from him.  
"You really don't need any more of this..."

He peered at me, his mouth forming a small "Oh" and soon his lips curled into a grin.  
"Are you concerned for me?"  
I frowned at him, shaking my head.  
"You can take care of yourself. But excessive drinking is not a good idea..."  
Nodding he rose to his feet, slightly leaning onto the chair to balance himself.  
"Damn right. I can. But that's sweet, nonetheless..."  
I stood up as well, frowning in confusion.  
Since when did he comment on things being sweet? Since when did he speak to his "Knight" in such a manner?  
What the hell was wrong with him?

It's a known fact that alcohol can change a person. Make them the exact opposite of what they appear to be. But this was too drastic.  
It was a relief that he wasn't bouncing off the walls or anything; _that_ would have been terrifying.  
But to be anything that could be considered as friendly was alarming.

The man signed loudly, and walked to his bed.  
I watched as he tugged his yukata off, and laid down."It's so hot... Tell Bansai to turn the air conditioning on."  
Nodding I started towards the door.  
"Before you go, you should know that there are guards surrounding the premises.  
It would be best to sneak past them all... One of those bastards had the audacity to strike me when my client came to 'pay'...  
Of course, he is no longer employed... Or alive." He started to snicker, and I offered a small smirk.  
"One other thing... Bring me a bottle of water." He commanded.

* * *

Leaving the room, I found Kawakami.  
He was scowling at me, for some unknown reason, and I told him about the air conditioner.  
Just as he started away, I grabbed his arm.  
"Wait... Where is the bottled water? Shinsuke needs one."  
Raising an eyebrow at me, Kawakami pointed to a door beside Matako's room.  
The man started away, and I moved in the opposite direction.  
When I reached the door, I was slightly surprised to find what looked more like a break room then a kitchen.  
Takasugi seemed to choose flashy, yet practical things.  
I had half expected to find an extravagant arrangement of marble counter tops, and a huge refrigerator, or stove.  
Instead, the room was plain white, with regular wooden floor boards.  
Two small burners sat on the counter, plugged into an outlet on the wall.  
There were light wooden cabinets that looked like they had never been polished, and a small oven built into the wall.

I walked to the refrigerator, and pulled out a bottle of water, glancing over the room again.  
It was the first time I had found something in his possession that wasn't ornate.  
Upon entering Takasugi's room I found the man still laying in his bed.  
His back was facing me, and I walked over to him.  
"Here, Sir..."  
He turned over and leaned up, taking the water from me.  
I hadn't noticed it before, but he was wounded. When he had taken his shirt off, I could only see his side.  
Now a moderately sized gash stretched across his chest.  
Dried blood caked around it, and though it looked fresh, it wasn't bleeding.  
I stared at it for a moment, wondering what the hell he was doing.  
He was just laying there, like he wasn't injured at all.  
The man unscrewed the cap of the water, and took a large gulp.

"What?" He asked, laying back down.  
I wasn't sure if I should comment, I just stared at him, debating my answer.  
He peered up at me, appearing to be bored.  
"Erm... Sir... You, uh... Your..."  
I started motioning over my chest, and pointing to his.  
He glanced down at it, and nodded.  
"I told you, I got cut."  
"Well... Uh, Bansai didn't sew it up for you? Matako didn't check it?" Frowning, I tried to make sense of his situation.  
Sighing loudly, the man rolled his eye.

"I told them to leave me alone... What? Do you want to sew it? I suppose it should be..."  
He shrugged, and motioned to a drawer across the room.  
"Very well... Get the medical kit..."

Still slightly taken aback by his tone of voice, and partially kind attitude, I did as instructed.  
When I returned to his bed side, he sat up.  
"I understand that in the past, we haven't exactly been cordial towards one another. But don't fuck it up."  
I peered at the man, trying to decide how I should do this.  
Opting not to be on the floor on my knees in front of him, I sat on the bed, and opened the medical box.  
He watched me, his face still flushed, as I grabbed the necessary equipment.  
the first thing I needed to do was disinfect the wound.  
When I took the alcohol to his skin, he remained in place, peering down at it.  
Almost as if he had no reaction to the sting, whatsoever.

He watched me as I slipped the needle into his skin, and neither of us spoke.  
That is, until I decided to break the silence.  
"We were cordial before, you know. Back before you went on a power trip, and decided to either kill or rape me. Or both."  
He nodded thoughtfully for a moment, and I finished closing the gash.  
When I pushed everything back into the small first aid kit he sighed. I gazed at him, wondering what he was thinking.  
"I expected you to at least try to hurt me, or something... How I stitched you, remember?"  
The man fixed his eye on me, and I nodded.  
"Some people don't take pleasure in that sort of thing..." Shifting my gaze, I responded in a low voice and placed my hands in my lap.  
It was true that we had tried to kill each other, more then once, at that.  
But he didn't seem in the rape-y kind of mood. For some reason he was acting more considerate. Alarmingly so.

"Hmph... You've got a point... But don't try to act as if you don't enjoy your line of work... I've seen you."  
I nodded, knowing that I couldn't deny his statement.  
Standing up, I took the box back to it's drawer. I turned to face Takasugi, finding that the man had laid down again.  
"I must be going. I'll report back when the mission is complete."  
He nodded, dismissively waving his hand towards me.


	17. Hagli's Manor

Kawakami told me where the target's house was located.  
He also loaned me his sword again, though I intended to just sneak in.  
Our plan was for me to get the girl, and take her to a van waiting on the street just past the forest.  
The man wrapped my torso, and applied a numbing agent so I could move freely.

I arrived at the house in he dark of night.  
As warned, there were guards every where. It was a tall two story building, surrounded by foliage.  
Men with swords stood at the front and back entrances, as well as patrolling the grounds.  
Small lights illuminated the walk way, as well as a few lamps connected to the house.  
I sat in the bushes, scoping the scene.  
Realizing that it would be almost impossible to walk right up to the door (or any windows for that matter) I studied the top of the building.  
It was made of white stone, and a small balcony caught my eye.  
_'That's my best bet...'_

There was a tree near the balcony, and I decided to climb up, and jump from there.  
Takasugi had instructed me to wear the same all black suit from before, only he added a small mask, and black cap.  
If anything I looked more like a thief. The mask covered everything but my eyes, and my hair was piled into the cap.  
I watched the guards walk past my path, paying close attention to their habits.  
Noting who the most attentive men were, I opened my wrist pouch, and pulled a tiny bomb that Kawakami had given to me out.  
Attention would have to be diverted. I had three bombs to work with, so it would be necessary to use them wisely.

Before climbing the tree, I slipped through the forest, and to the opposite side of the property.  
I set the timer on the explosive to three minutes, and planted it on a tree.  
_'That should get them...'_  
I moved back to my previous position and waited.  
It only took a few seconds for a loud blast to sound, and when it did the men started to shout to one another.

"Oi! The southern forest! Move out men! Group four, hold your positions!"  
_"Yes sir!" _Multiple men answered the loud voice, that was shouting commands.  
When The men were preoccupied I made my move.  
Pulling myself up the tree I was careful to avoid any lights that may cast a shadow across the ground.  
I leaned onto the wall, to ensure my balance and grip.  
The moment I was level with the balcony, I latched onto it, and pulled myself up.  
The sliding door to the small area was open, so I let myself in.  
The room was painted a dusky shade of blue, and Tatami mats covered the floor.  
Multiple weapons hung on the wall, and I walked to one that tickled my fancy.  
An ornate katana, was placed above it's sheath.  
Instead of a regular squared or round finger guard, it had two short blades sticking from the sides.  
The blade shined in the light of the room, and was engraved with an elegant wispy design.  
Nodding to myself I sheathed the blade and strapped it to the opposite side of the one Kawakami loaned me.  
_'To find the girl...'  
_The only way to remain unseen was to be somewhere that people never think to check.  
I lifted myself into the ceiling panels, not surprised to feel a dull ache in my hip, and abdomen.

After securing myself in the ceiling, I moved around the rooms; peeking through air vents, and any thing else I could see through.  
It took a while to find the girl.  
She was standing by a pair of glass doors, peering outside.  
In her purple kimono she appeared to be rather attractive; long tan hair, nice figure.  
I gazed through another air vent, and found a guard standing just outside of her door._  
'Two minutes... That's all I need...'_

Grabbing the second bomb, I set the timer to exactly one hundred and twenty seconds.  
Most likely the girl would scream. The guard would come to help and immediately be stunned, blocked, or killed.  
Placing the bomb above the door, I pulled up one of the ceiling panels and silently lowered myself to the floor.  
The room was identical to the first one I had been in, minus the weapons.  
The girl hadn't noticed me, and I rushed behind her. I grabbed the girl, and hoped that it was the right one.  
Firmly clamping a hand over her mouth, I was shocked when I saw her face.  
_'Yeah... This is the one...'  
_One of her eyes was drooping, and one tooth protruded from her lips.  
Her nose was oddly shaped, and her boobs were doing some thing weird. Something that no boob should ever do.

Despite my hand she screamed, and I found myself not wanting to touch her.  
I let her go, and stared donning a slightly confused, concerned expression.  
The door shot open, and I turned to peer at the man responsible.  
"MEN! HAGLI'S ROOM! HURRY!"  
After shouting to his comrades, he pulled a blade from his side.  
"Don't move... You're surrounded..."  
I nodded and held my hands up. The man started towards me, but I had been counting down the entire time.  
before he could even take two steps, I turned and lunged towards the girl.  
Wrapping one arm around her, I pulled her to the balcony.  
A loud explosion sounded, and I forced her to jump over the stone rail with me.  
I had already studied the area, and was just thankful that my estimation had been right.

The man in the room above screamed, and so did the girl as we plunged into the water of a pool.  
The moment we rose to the surface the girl started to struggle.  
The splashing didn't help to keep our location hidden.  
I wrestled to pull her from the water, but the lack of ground beneath my feet, made it difficult to keep from being dunked under the surface of the pool.  
_'She's gonna drown me! I'm gonna be killed by a girl named Hagli!'_  
Fighting my way up, I punched her in the jaw. She immediately went limp, and I grabbed her Kimono, pulling her with me as I swam to the edge.  
"They're down there! In the pool! Get them!"

Finally getting the girl out I stood her up, turning my back to her, and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.  
Foot steps could be heard, quickly approaching me. Without hesitation I gripped the girl's arms and dashed into the forest.

Extra weight was not helping me to transport the girl any faster, and it sounded as thought the men were right behind us.  
Slowing down, I ducked behind a large tree trunk.  
The light of the moon was barely enough to make out the figures of the men rushing past, and I silently laid the girl down.  
_'Time to test this new blade...'_

Approaching them head on was a bad idea. Obviously. So I opted to attack from above instead.  
"Damn it! Where did she go?!"  
One of the men hissed the words, and I slipped up a near by tree, taking care not to make a sound unless the wind blew.  
When I was right over them, I lowered myself down.  
"Fuck! Boss is gonna be pissed... Seppuku for everyone..." The man hissed again.  
Low murmurs of 'Yeah' responded, and i tried to count the men.  
_'Only four...'_

Grasping the branch below me, I slowly slipped my new sword from it's sheath. The men were coming up with a game plan, and didn't seem to hear me at all.  
When I was satisfied with my position, I plunged the blade between a man's shoulder and neck.  
He screamed and the other men froze in place.  
"SHIT! WHAT THE-" Soon the man who attempted to shout was writhing in pain with the last.  
The other two started to run, but i cut one down, and dropped into the last's path.  
"Don't kill me- Just wait! Please- I have a family! I have kids! I can't leave them alone! I'll tell the others I never saw you! I'll say we split up- PLEASE!"  
I glared at the man as he dropped his sword.  
"I never wanted to take this job- My father forced me! It was the only way to support my family! Just- Just-"  
Loud sniffles interrupted his words, and it became apparent that he was crying.

He covered his face with his hands, and I walked to his side.  
Sighing loudly, I struck him with the handle of my sword. Between his jaw and neck, right under his ear.  
He slumped to the ground and I returned to my hostage, only to find a man standing beside her.  
He didn't seem to notice me, and focused on picking her up.  
I brought my sword down on the man, slicing to his abdomen. After crying out he froze in place, and I knelt down in front of him.  
"_My_ prey..."  
The man peered at me as I sneered the words, and I snatched the girl's limp body from his grasp.

As I stood I retracted my blade, and dragged the girl along the ground as I walked away.  
Sheathing my sword, I tried to devise a plan.  
She grumbled and snorted something in her sleep, and soon was trying to stand up.  
"Stupid! Who told you that you could regain consciousness?!"  
Turning around I proceeded to stomp on her until she fell limp again. It didn't take long, and soon I was dragging her as I had before.  
Ahead was a steep hill. I would have to trek up the slope with the girl and get her into the van.  
Turning to the girl I decided to pick her up.  
It would be no easy feat, but I could hear foot steps in the distance, and carrying her as I had before wouldn't be efficient enough.

A forced grunt of effort parted my lips as I lifted her to my shoulder.  
_'Why the hell is she so damn heavy?! What the fuck are they feeding this girl?!'_

I started up the hill, concealing myself in the foliage.  
To my dismay, I had to tighten my abdominal muscles to move.  
The numbing effect of the salve Kawakami had applied was quickly wearing off, but I pushed myself forward.  
Just a few steps from the top I heard a voice.  
"There! Up there!"  
Silently swearing under my breath, I willed myself to continue. Kawakami was just inside of the van, just a meter away.  
The sound of the hammer of a gun being pulled back caused me to drop to the ground, and just in time too.  
Shots were fired, and i ducked underneath the girl i had perched atop my shoulder.  
When the fire ceased, I planted my feet in the soil of the hill and pushed us both to the sidewalk, only to feel something rip.  
My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped at the pain that flooded my body.  
Gasping, I almost froze in place. Almost. But some how the thought of being killed was not comforting enough to stop.  
Instead of trying to make sense of the tearing sensation, I continued to push, and crawled onto the sidewalk with her.  
dark boots could be seen under the car, and soon Kawakami was walking to my side.  
He slid the back door to the van open, and threw the girl in.  
Next he hoisted me over his shoulder, causing me to shriek in pain.  
The man stopped an turned to face the men at the bottom of the cliff.  
They had started to follow behind us, grabbing onto the bushes to stable themselves.  
I watched as Kawakami pulled a small square device from his pocket.  
He pressed a button and threw it to the feet of the man in the lead.

"Wh- it... IT'S A B-"  
An explosion cut off the sound of the voice, and Kawakami started to walk.  
"Ah- Bansai! Your shoulder- Your shoulder!" I tried to explain that he had rested my hip on his shoulder, but he didn't listen.  
"Shut up."

The man leaned over, pushing me into the passenger seat, and soon was climbing into the driver's side.


	18. Getting Drunk is Embarrassing

"Dumb ass. The numbing cream was supposed to make it easier for you to move.  
I didn't say you could go all muscle woman and start lifting weights. It's not steroids, it's fucking lotion, I dare say."

We returned to the warehouse safely, where Kawakami lifted me back up, and carried me bridal style into Takasugi's room.  
The moment we entered we wished we hadn't. I heard Kawakami gasp, and I stared wide eyed at the scene before us.

"Bansai, you're back. And you brought Rein... Wait- Don't look!" Takasugi slurred his words, and Kawakami quickly turned us away.  
"Yes... Sir..." Kawakami spoke in a low tone and I peered up at him.  
"what is he? is he really?" I mouthed the words to Kawakami who shrugged mouthing "I don't know."

Takasugi was standing in a corner of the room, painting with a tarp spread under him and the canvas. He was also naked.  
I had just gotten very good view of side penis, and couldn't stop scowling.  
"Erm... Shinsuke... Did you have some more to drink?"  
Kawakami was the first to speak again, and we started to turn around only to halt at the realization of the fact that he hadn't moved.  
Not one bit. He continued to paint, and I had no idea of what to think about this.

"Why yes, I have... Why?" Takasugi asked, sounding completely innocent.  
In an unnatural way. earlier he had still been somewhat normal, just not as much of an ass hole.  
Now I didn't know what to expect from him.  
"Well... Uh... Normally, this is the time that you put your clothes back on, I dare say..."  
Kawakami appeared to be gazing down at me, and sighed loudly.  
"The job is complete sir, the girl is secure."  
"Great. You two want a drink? Bansai- your shoulder... Are you injured?"  
It sounded as though the man put the paintbrush down and started towards us.

Kawakami peered over his shoulder, only to quickly tuck his head back towards me.  
"Wait! Wait, no sir! I- I mean yes sir! I'm fine! Don't... Don't come over here like that! Why is there... Paint on..? Don't come near Rein holding that!" I frowned up at Kawakami wide eyed, suddenly feeling as though I should walk away and forget about the injury.  
"Oh this? I have to hold it right now! It- I cant let go!"  
"What?" Kawakami asked, frowning and still not turning to face Takasugi.

Instead of waiting for an explanation, Kawakami briskly walked from the room.  
"We have some other matters to attend to..."

* * *

We escaped to his room, and the man laid me on his bed.  
"I assume it's your hip? Or did you manage to receive another wound?"  
Shaking my head, I tried to lean up.  
He didn't move, or make a sound as I fell back onto the bed.  
I could barely raise my shoulders up. The moment my abs tensed the pain became unbearable.  
"Pushing yourself only does more damage, I dare say. Wait here. I'll sew you up..."  
I nodded to the man and he left the room.  
A few minuted passed, an I stared at the shadow over the room, wondering what I would do.  
Or how long it would take. Nothing could really bee seen.  
Just a plain table, which a bright desk lamp was on. everything but the table was dark.  
The door slowly opened, and I peered at the figure coming into the room.  
"You're the one who's hurt, eh?"  
Takasugi walked to my side, freshly clothed, and I scowled at the man.  
"No. I'm fine..."  
He chuckled at my response, and shook his head.  
"You stitched me up earlier... I do not dislike you, hurry up and heal."

I stared up at the man utterly confused, and stunned by his words.  
"Oi, .don't hit me... just give me this..."  
Before my eyes, he started moving closer. In an oddly kiss like movement.  
His cheeks were still flushed, only adding to my panic, and I wondered how I should respond.  
_'Should I let him? He did try to kill me, on numerous occasions... But wait, what can I do? I can look away, but-'_

My moment of wide eyed contemplation seemed to take just enough time for him to get close enough.  
His fingers barely brushed against my chin, lifting my lips to his. He met me with a soft, sweet kiss; much to my surprise.  
I laid frozen in place, wondering how to perceive his notion; what to do, and he pulled away.  
"I wonder how your tune sounds right now... "

His olive eye fixated on mine, and I shifted my gaze.

"W- What the-"  
The door opened and Kawakami walked into the room. He shifted his gaze between me and Takasugi, completely silent.  
Takasugi averted his eye, and mumbled under his breath.  
"I'm drunk..."

Kawakami and I watched the man exit the room, both equally confused.  
"Oi, untie your yukata. I don't want to."  
I peered up at Kawakami nodding slowly.  
"Hurry up. I don't want this to take too long... I've gotta go back..."  
He raised an eyebrow at me, as I pulled my belt open.  
"Back? Most likely you won't be able to go anywhere tonight. Don't worry. You can stay in here. The door locks."

That wasn't exactly comforting. In any way shape or form. I shook my head, draping my arms over my yukata.  
"I can go. I'm fine, really. I just need to be sewn up. That's it."  
Kawakami started to snicker at me, and nodded.  
"Alright... We'll see... Stand up." The man leaned against a small writing desk, blocking the light of the lamp.  
I turned my head to the side, glaring at him.  
"Fine..."  
It soon became apparent that I wouldn't be able to just lean up and go.  
Kawakami watched me with a raised eyebrow, and I sighed.  
Instead of trying to pick myself up, I rolled to the edge of the bed, and used my body weight to sit up.  
When I draped my feet towards the floor, I followed the motion through, making it into a sitting position.  
Pushing from the bed, I stood up, holding my hip.  
"See?" I scowled at the man, to suppress the oncoming wince that threatened to respond to the sharp ache. He nodded leaning up.  
"Guess you're fine..." Extending a single hand the man shoved me back onto the bed.  
"Do it again."

Sighing loudly I shook my head, knowing that I couldn't.  
"I don't have to prove anything to you." I stated, crossing my arms.  
"I see... No you don't. Alright then. When I'm finished, get out."  
His voice was cold, and he took a step towards me, pulling my yukata open.  
"Oi! You're supposed to warn people when you do something like that! You don't just go pulling clothes wide open all silently! What makes you think I trust you?"  
I snapped the words at him and he snickered at me.  
"Because I bought your immunity." He stated flatly.  
Without warning, he poured a cold liquid over my wound.  
Despite the fact that the astringent was cold it burned on contact, and I stifled an exasperated groan of pain; clenching my teeth.  
"Tch..." I tightened my arms which were still crossed over the fabric of my yukata, and my chest.  
Kawakami froze in place, raising an eyebrow at me. I glared up at him and he leaned over me, seeming to be studying me.  
"You liked that? Isn't that sort of odd? Masochistic, I dare say."  
Shifting my gaze I refused to look at him.  
"I didn't say I liked it..." I grumbled.  
He nodded, and continued to work on the wound. The needle plunged into my skin, and I bit down on my lower lip.  
"I can hear it, you know..."  
Peering up at the man I sighed.  
"I don't see how you can hear anything over your music..."  
My answer was met with a sharp tug on the stitches that caused my breath to catch.  
Kawakami smirked at me, tapping the skin beside the wound.  
"I don't."


	19. Pain Inhibits Movement at Times

It only took a few minutes for Kawakami to finish stitching my wound, and he pulled my yukata closed.  
"Alright. Get out."  
I nodded, but I had never been replaced on the bed.  
My legs were already bent over the edge, dangling towards the floor, and I couldn't push myself up without causing an extreme amount of pain.  
I just kinda dangled my right leg for a second.  
"What is it? Having trouble?" Still smirking, Kawakami leaned back on his desk, and crossed his arms.  
"No..." I grumbled the word, and stared at the ceiling.  
"I'm just... studying the design on your ceiling... that's all..."  
I didn't look at him, and he started to snicker to himself.  
"It's a regular drop tile design... In other words, there is no design."  
I glared at him, and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Well. You can leave when you're ready. I'm going to bed, it's late."  
Without offering any more words, Kawakami started to strip his clothes. All I could do was divert my gaze, and protest.  
"Oi! You could at least move or something! Don't just strip right in front of me!"  
"You've seen it before. Anyway... You can move any time you want."  
He chuckled after speaking, and pushed his shirt to the ground. Soon, his pants fell with it.  
Leaving his boxers in place, the man crawled onto the bed beside me, and moved to the pillow.  
My head was right beside his chest, but he was obviously more comfortable. And enjoying this.  
"Turn the light off when you go." He commanded and I sighed.  
Surprisingly he hadn't removed his shades, or headphones.  
I remained in place, contemplating my next move. Well, any move that might not hurt me.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to push myself up. Pain rippled through my body, and I cringed_  
'This is pathetic. Really ridiculous. I would just jump up and start working the moment I get hurt, completely disregarding things like healing...'_

The only thing left to do was allow gravity to work for me.  
I started to slid off of the bed, hoping that I could some how manage standing, opposed to sitting on my ass, on the floor.  
A hand grasped my yukata, and I peered at Kawakami.  
"Just ask for help."  
Scowling, I shook my head.  
"No. I don't need any. This is just a much cooler way of getting up... It's... In style right now."  
He raised an eyebrow at me obviously not falling for my bull shit.  
Without a word the man tugged me up. He pulled me back onto the bed completely, and positioned me beside himself.  
"I _told_ you, I'm _fine_." I snapped the words at him and he nodded.  
Leaning over me, he pulled his glasses off.  
"Yeah... I know you are..." The man gazed at me, and I stared into his eyes.  
Though I had worked with him for years I had never seen them before.  
The small bit of light that reflected off of his irises told me that they were a deep shade of blue, almost teal.

"Why the hell are you so close? Have you forgotten that you stabbed me at the command of your_ king_?" I glared at the man and he sighed.  
He didn't answer me, yet never shifted his gaze from mine. His lack of speech was probably because there was no excuse that could be used.  
After a moment of silence he answered.  
"At least I protested. I didn't kick you out of that window. Nor did I want to see it happen."

The man set his shades on the table, and I pressed myself further into the bed.  
"What? Are you nervous? Why is your song skipping?" He stared at me, and I shifted my gaze.  
"Fuck you. It's not..." For a second I wondered if he was just listening to my heartbeat, and not some complicated melody from the depths of my soul.

"Oh, you..." Sighing loudly, he lowered himself to my neck, lightly brushing his lips against my skin.  
It was an unexpected movement, and I placed my hands on his chest.  
"Wait- What the fuck do you think you're doing?! Don't-"  
"I'm not gonna push you any farther... I know who you like... It just so happens that you like me as well, I dare say. But then again... It's not like that..."  
His breath was warm against my skin, and I nudged him away.  
"Bansai-"  
"I know." He stated, cutting me off. His hand slid under my back, and he paced his lips to my neck again.  
"It's obvious... Besides you're injured. If you expect me to take advantage of you, you're wrong, I dare say. I would never. You seem unsure of where to go with him, or what to do... Just follow your heart..."  
He leaned up, and I gazed down at him.  
"My heart?"  
He nodded, and laid down on my chest.  
"Yeah..." The man pulled his headphones off, and I gazed up at the ceiling, wondering what my heart wanted.  
"Torn in two?"  
He hadn't bothered to look up at me and I sighed.  
"Well... There's no way to know which path to take unless you walk down the road a little. You can always turn back around, I dare say."  
Kawakami pulled me from the side of the bed, and into the middle. He moved between my legs, and laid back down on my chest.  
"But if you don't like those roads, there's always a back road some where, that leads to the same place." He added, and I nodded.  
The man sighed, and leaned back up. He gazed at me one last time before reaching towards the light, and flipping it off.  
"Just don't go down the streets with construction workers, and port-a-potties... Nothing good comes of those..."  
The unexpected addition to his advice caused me to chuckle.  
After repositioning himself, he placed his free hand on my shoulder, taking care not to put any extra weight on my wound.

"You could at least show that you like the closeness. Like wrap your arms around me or something..."

I took a moment to think about his statement, before obliging. I draped my arms over his back, and found myself running a finger over his muscles.

"Your path is not the same as mine... Shinsuke would... Be a rather large obstacle, I dare say.  
I will not allow anything to happen. Between us that is. I have an alliance to uphold. A friendship.  
But there's nothing wrong with pretending, just for a few hours... Just this once."  
I attempted to gaze at him through the dark, and he lightly moved against my chest, as if he was looking up at me.

"By the way... Those were some nice panties..."  
The darkness concealed the scowl that twisted my face, and he started to snicker to himself.  
Leaning up, he placed his lips against my ribs, and I could feel the smile that curled them.

* * *

When morning arrived, we were awoken by the door creaking open  
"Bansai... My head-" Takasugi stood in the door way staring at us wide eyed.  
We hadn't moved the entire night, and I peered at the man lazily.  
Kawakami had been facing the wall, leaning his weight on my right hip, instead of my left. The man shifted his weight, and gazed at Takasugi.  
"Sir?" His voice was low, and I moved in the ghost of a stretch underneath him.  
"_What_ is going on in here?" Takasugi's already somber voice dropped to a low, aggressive tone.  
He crossed his arms, and flipped a switch on the wall, causing light from fixture in the ceiling to flood the room.

Kawakami and I shut out eyes, cringing at the sudden brightness.  
"She... Last night she got hurt on the job. You were busy when we got back, so I sewed her up. It was pretty serious, she couldn't leave... So I let her stay here."  
Kawakami answered in his usual low tone, and leaned back down, laying on me.  
I didn't know if he should still be so close too me in front of Takasugi, and just watched the men.  
I gauged Takasugi's reaction, and a look of obvious irritation crossed his face.

He leaned against the wall, pressing his crossed arms tightly against himself.  
"And _why_ pray tell are you _laying_ on her?" After sneering the words, he clenched his teeth.  
"She was cold." Kawakami stated flatly.  
Huffing in annoyance, Takasugi leaned up, and walked to our side.  
"You need to make me something. For a hang over. **NOW**."

I gazed up at Takasugi, and Kawakami nodded, raising himself from the bed.  
Without a word, Kawakami tugged his coat on, and started from the room.  
Takasugi peered down at me, anger furrowing his brow. He raised his pipe to his lips, not taking his eye from me for a single second.  
I have a habit of awakening in a bad mood. Especially if I'm still tired. I glared up at him, not minding his attitude. Though he was obviously enraged, it didn't bother me at all.

"What's wrong, Shinsuke? Don't feel like being nice to me again today? You're not gonna offer me a drink, or remind me that you don't dislike me?" The words slipped through a passive smirk, and his scowl deepened.  
"You've not the authority to speak to me in such a familiar tone." He spat the words, and I snickered at him.  
"You're right. But don't forget, I'm the one who stitched that wounded chest of yours. I also know you like to paint naked." Unable to contain myself I started to laugh at the thought.

His eye widened, and I stared up at him calmly. He was already dressed, and his left arm was tucked into his sleeve.  
The man pulled his pipe from his lips, and leaned towards me.  
"_What _did you just say to me?" He sneered the words, laying his pipe on the bed beside me.  
I continued to hold his gaze, still snickering at him.  
He immediately placed his hand to my throat, and moved his face only a few inches from mine.  
"Do I _amuse _you? Like a clown? You take such a tone with me, and expect not to receive punishment?"  
He sneered the words, and I pushed myself up from the bed, suppressing a grimace.  
"What do you intend to do? Give me another soft sweet kiss? Compliment me to death?"  
He gasped at my response, and I studied him, wondering if he even remembered.  
It was obvious that I was pushing him too far, but his reaction was worth it.  
Takasugi was such a prideful man that the smallest hint at disrespect would unleash havoc upon the offender's life.  
Disregarding his aggression, I reached for his yukata.

"How it is, by the way? Are you sore?" The man froze in place, as I studied his wound.  
Picking on him was fun, but too much would probably have a negative effect. That was a risk I was not willing to take; especially while injured.  
It was obvious that if I wanted to keep things from getting as bad as before, I would have to put forth extra effort, as he had said.  
But most likely not in the way he intended. Being the man that he was, it was obvious that he wouldn't let people know if he was in pain or not.  
The smallest notion of kindness would probably go a long ways with him. Especially when he was in such a foul mood.

His hand slipped from my neck, and I traced my fingers around his stitches.  
The skin around the gash was slightly red, and I glanced up at him.  
"You should use a disinfectant ointment... To keep it from getting dry, and uncomfortable."  
Confusion took him, and he stared at me, wide eyed.  
Seeing that he wouldn't move, I grabbed his pipe.  
"I don't have any cigarettes..." I stated. He nodded, and I took a drag of his tobacco.  
A few minutes passed, and Takasugi sat on the bed near my feet.  
He hadn't spoken, and he passed the pipe between us.  
Kawakami returned holding a small cup on a saucer.  
"Here, sir. This should help, I dare say."  
Takasugi grabbed the cup from him, and placed his pipe on the bed.

"I wondered what the fuck that canvas was doing in my room." The man stated in a low tone.  
Kawakami raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't comment.  
Leaning against his writing desk, Kawakami sighed.  
"Shinsuke, Rein got another sword for herself. But she should get one custom made. I'd also like to teach her a new technique."

Takasugi peered up at him nodding.  
"Take her to the man down stairs. For now, make sure she heals properly."  
Standing up, Takasugi pulled his pipe from the bed, and briskly left the room.  
Kawakami stared after him, frowning.  
"What did you do to him?"  
I shrugged, slowly laying back down.  
"Nothing. Just treated him like a human for a change."

Though he didn't seem to understand he nodded.  
"His song was... Odd. But yours is getting better..." Dropping his coat Kawakami crawled back into the bed.  
"I doubt anything will happen today. That Hagli girl is still locked in the spare room. We can go back to sleep..."  
Reaching above himself the man flipped a switch and the room fell dark.  
"You have two light switches?" I turned to face him and he snickered.  
"Shinsuke always turns the light on when he's pissed. And leaves it there."  
Nodding I closed my eyes.  
"I wouldn't mind playing pretend for a while longer..."  
Sighing, the man pulled me against himself, and crawled over me.  
He laid down the way he had been before, and I also repositioned myself.

"Yeah... Everybody needs affection every now and then..." I murmured.


	20. Blacksmiths are Crazy

Some how one week passed, and I continued to stay with the Kiheitai.  
During that time Takasugi forced me to take care of his wound.  
The man constantly insisted that he didn't care about mine, or me, stating that he simply wanted me to hurry up and heal so I could work.  
He even went so far as to yell that my hip was stupid, and malfunctioning.  
Despite his attitude, he treated me differently. He was more curt with me, often opting to let Kawakami speak instead of himself.  
The one eyed man had instructed an Amanto to bring me cigarettes, yet denied having anything to do with it.  
when I asked said Amanto, he stated that Takasugi _had_ sent him, resulting in a stern warning from the man himself.  
Takasugi threatened to kill him if he ever revealed anything he was commanded to do again, and proceeded to tell me it was only because he hoped I would die from it. Right.

As mentioned before, Kawakami taught me a new technique. More like upgraded my fighting style.  
though I was still sore, I willed myself to train with him, and he showed me a two-handed method.  
So now, I could equip dual blades.  
I kept the one I had found, and decided to strap my sword to my back instead That way, when I got another I could easily access both of them.

In the morning Kawakami wrapped my chest, and hips. I peered at the man, as he silently pulled his clothes on.  
"Here." He thrust a square of cloth towards me, and I pulled it from his hand.  
"What is it?" Allowing the cloth to unfold, I studied the material.  
It was a short black yukata that was a bit more frilly then my preferences, but I thanked him nonetheless.  
"Matako picked it out for you. Get dressed."

I nodded as the man left the room. the yukata reached reached my mid thigh, and I sighed.  
_'She would pick something to short. And cute at that...'_  
there was a layer of see through cloth protruding from the bottom, and an occasional line of white circles chained together in a design of the main fabric.  
Two layers of black and white translucent ruffles outlined the collar, reaching to where the belt belonged.  
The belt was satin and trimmed with white lace. In the middle of the belt, there was another line of lace with black lace weaved through it.  
I slipped the outfit on, as well as the belt, noting that it was surprisingly comfortable.  
The only thing that got me was the fact that my legs were exposed.  
That and there was lace all over the damn place; like as the ends of the sleeves, which were as long as the skirt, and slanted slightly.

When I exited the room, Kawakami looked at the back of my belt.  
"No bow?" He asked raising an eyebrow.  
Shaking my head, I offered a slight smirk.  
"I don't do that sort of thing..."

His brow furrowed, and the man grabbed the back of my belt, pulling me back into the room.  
"Wait- It's fine like this!" I tried to latch onto the frame of the door, but he pulled to quickly.

After arranging some floofy bow on me the man released me.  
I grumbled a half-hearted thanks, and started down the hallway.  
Kawakami walked beside me, leading me to some unknown location.  
"You could have at least worn the sandals..." He gestured towards my combat boots and I rolled my eyes.  
"Shinsuke would like to take your measurements today; to make a better outfit for your future jobs. Also, we're going to talk to a swords smith today."

I peered up at him, nodding. We descended the stairs, and he led me to the captivity ward.  
The air was cold, and damp. Large metal doors lined the brick walls, and Kawakami walked to a specific one.  
He pulled a slide of metal open and peeked inside.  
After a second, he opened the door and allowed me in.  
A forgery was set up in the room, and a red hot coals kept it warm.  
An elderly man sat on a stool next to an anvil, wearing a dark pair of goggles.  
"Oi, old man. We need a sword for this woman. Do so and your debt will be erased, we'll release you."  
The man peered up at Kawakami, nodding.  
Kawakami walked to his side, and dug into his pocket. He pulled out a small bento box, and handed it to the man.  
Turning to me he placed a finger to his lips.  
I nodded and walked to the men, stopping a few meters away from them.

"Oh, ho ho! Banban, you really do spoil me!" The man let out a loud laugh, and I smirked at the name.  
Kawakami appeared to glare at me, and I averted my gaze, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Come here young man- let me get a good look at you."  
The man spoke as he popped the tin lid of the bento open, and I frowned, yet nodded.  
He stood up, and I walked to his side.  
Placing a hand on his chin, a thoughtful frown creased the man's brow.  
"What's your name, sir?"  
"Rein." I answered, wondering what the hell was wrong with him.  
Still frowning, he nodded.  
"Last name?"  
"I don't have one." I responded, studying his expression.

"I've been expecting you- You are the chosen one! You will slay the dragon, and peace will be restored to this humble land!  
Bards will sing of your might, and maidens will swoon at the mention of your name!"  
The man proclaimed, raising his finger in an 'Aha!' moment.  
Shaking my head I felt my eyebrows furrow.  
"Erm... I'm a woman... Why would maidens swoon when they hear my name?"

"You're bride will be a gem, and your children will aspire to be just like their father! Sit! Let me tell you how to defeat the mighty dragon, oh warrior of fate!"  
The man sat down, on his chair, and I peered up at Kawakami unable to conceal my concern for the old bat.  
The man was positively daft. A butterfly on the breeze of insanity.  
He seemed to be biting down on his lip, to keep from laughing at me.  
Turning back to the man I once again shook my head.  
There wasn't even another chair to sit in, and for some reason it angered me to no end.  
"If I have a wife, I can't have children! I- I'm not like that! What are you talking about?!"

"Oh, so you're one of 'them' huh? One of those flaming peter-puffers? My, my, kids nowadays! You know, back in my day we'd take all those butt pirates and-"  
"I'M A WOMAN!" I shouted, and the man stopped mid sentence.  
"And you should apologize to the readers! Don't make it sound like this story or the author is biased towards people's life choices, you old coot!"  
I glared at him, and he sighed.  
Kawakami started to snicker, and a scowl didn't discourage the man from continuing.

"Young man, the name's simple enough to remember. Have a little respect. It's just Bob. No honorifics or anything. Just Bob."  
He responded, crossing his arms.  
"Oh, you said your name was Raymond? You're not the dragon slayer, that was supposed to be Quiff. Huh..."  
The man started to shove a rice ball into his mouth, and I peered at Kawakami.  
"Just Bob huh?" I asked,  
"Yep. Just Bob." the old man stated.  
"Like Justbob? "  
"Yes. Just Bob."  
"Justbob?" I asked again and he nodded.  
"Just Bob."

"Well, uhh, nice to meet you Justbob."  
Trying to at least sound nice, I couldn't stop glaring at the man. He still hadn't acknowledged the fact that I'm a woman.  
"It's just Bob." He stated and I nodded.  
"Yeah, Justbob." I echoed.  
"No, it's just Bob." He raised an eyebrow at me, and I mirrored his expression.  
"Justbob." I stated, and he nodded.  
"That's what I said though, Justbob." I frowned as I spoke,and he stood up.  
"BOB! Call me Bob!" He bellowed, and I shifted my gaze.  
"Oh, just Bob?" I asked, and he nodded.  
"Okay... Bob." I couldn't help but feel silly, and him and Kawakami started to snicker at me.

"What does her song sound like Banban?" The man turned to Kawakami, who was still laughing at me.  
"Embarrassed." He revealed, and I glared at the two.

"Young lady, I jut needed to test you. If I didn't you would have changed to fit the sword, instead of getting a sword that fits your personality."  
Bob walked to my side,and grabbed my cheeks, examining me.  
Normally I would turn away, but I didn't know if this was a part of the 'test' or not.  
He turned my face from side to side and I watched him. The man tightened his grip, giving me a fish mouth, and grinned.  
"This one can make really funny faces, too."

Sighing loudly I snatched away from the man, and he started to laugh.  
"Alright old man, we leave it to you." Kawakami stated, grabbing my sleeve.  
I glared at the man who was still wildly laughing behind us, as I was pulled away.


	21. We All Scream For Ice Cream

Takasugi had a man measure me, and as I left his room I ran into Matako.  
"Rein, are you feeling better?"  
I nodded, and offered small smile. In the time I has been here we had only spoken a few times, but each conversation was entertaining.  
She never seemed to be dull, and we had even practiced together.  
Though it was only target practice, we spent time bonding, and now things didn't seem too tense.  
"You picked this yukata out for me, right?" I tilted my head to the side, and she nodded.  
"Thank you..." Despite my hate of the statement, I peered down at the lacy, black robe.  
She smiled at me, and we started down the hallway together.  
"What are you going to do today? I hear that you'll be leaving." Matako didn't bother to look at me, and I ran a hand through my hair.  
"Yeah." I sighed the word, and we rounded a corner into another white hallway.  
"I'm going to train with Bansai one last time first. Most likely I'll need to return. The old man down stairs is making me a sword."

She nodded, and we descended a flight of stairs.  
"So when are your stitches coming out? Are you well enough to continue working yet?"  
The woman fixed her brown eyes on me, and I chuckled at the question.  
"Of course. I always am. I could have left sooner, but I guess it just got too comfortable."

Offering another nod, the woman turned to me.  
"Understandable. It's easy to let your guard down here. especially when you're on our side."  
I allowed my eyes to wander over the iron beams supporting the ceiling.  
"So- What happened with that girl? The one I captured."  
Narrowing her eyes at me, Matako tilted her head to the side.  
"You don't know?"  
I shook my head frowning.  
"Her father still hasn't paid yet. She's fine... But Takasugi-Sama is running out of patience."  
We stopped, and peered at each other, neither of us saying a word.

"Ladies..."  
We turned to face the source of the voice, only to find Takasugi approaching.  
"Sir." I tilted my head in a greeting, and he stopped beside us.  
"You plan to duel with Bansai, correct?"  
"Yes sir." I answered, staring at him blankly.  
"He's preparing now... Matako."  
She raised her eyebrows, acknowledging the fact that he had addressed her.  
"Take a break today. I plan to do the same. "  
"Yes sir!" she bowed deeply, and he smirked at us.  
Without a word he walked away, and up the stairs we had just come from.

When Matako raised back up I gazed at her, devoid of expression.  
"You really aren't good at hiding that, you know." I stated, and she bit down on her lip.  
"I can't help it..."

* * *

It only took a minute to reach the training room. Standing outside of the door, I was surprised to hear soft music echoing from within the room.  
I eased the door open, and peered into the room. Kawakami sat on the floor, cross legged, playing his shamisen.  
The man didn't seem to notice me, and I remained in place, listening to the intricate melody.  
He slowly moved his hand around the neck of the instrument, strumming a low, mournful tune, and I found the music pleasing.  
"I can hear you..." His voice was barely audible, and I sighed. So much for a secret show.  
Walking into the room, I closed the door behind myself, and strolled to his side.  
He didn't move, and I sat down. He played for at least half an hour, before leaning the shamisen against the wall.

"I'll get the swords..." I nodded to him, and he started away. When he was out of sight, I stared at the instrument.  
Years had passed since I last played a guitar.  
It couldn't be much different, right? Knowing that he had a bit of a walk before he returned i grabbed it and laid it in my lap.  
I plucked a few strings getting a feel for the tune. In the past, I had only learned a handful of songs.  
It didn't take long for me to give up on sounding good. My playing wasn't exactly bad, per say; just rusty.  
Kawakami returned to the room only moments later, and handed me two bokkens.  
"Don't hold back..." He instructed, and I nodded.

By the time we finished practicing it felt as though my arms would fall off (Mostly my left arm).  
Hours had passed, and Kawakami offered a slight smirk.  
"You're getting better, I dare say."  
Mirroring his expression, I mumbled a small 'thanks for teaching me', and he nodded.  
We left the room, and as I opened the door he spoke.  
"You also need to practice playing music, I dare say."  
I peered at him over my shoulder, and he snickered at me. At least he wasn't angry.

I met up with Matako again, and we decided to go out together.  
She seemed at a loss for finding things to do. Obviously she didn't take days off very often.  
"We can go to a hunting store. They should have some nice guns." I peered at her as we walked down the street, and she nodded.  
"Yeah... You know what I haven't done in a while though?"  
"Hm?" I waited for the woman's answer, and she picked a small piece of lint from her pink skirt.  
"Drink. We should drink, and just relax. I guess that's what people do on their vacations, right?"  
Glancing at me, she tilted her head to the side.  
I nodded, and observed our surroundings.  
We were walking down a long stretch of sidewalk beside the road.  
Not much was around us, just a few grassy fields, and abandoned buildings.  
Everything was like that until you reached the edge of the industrial area.  
The sun hung in the sky, brightening our surroundings.  
A plethora of spider-web clouds danced overhead, and the smell of rain hung in the air.

"It's a nice day." I noted.  
"Yeah." She replied.

Hunting stores were never really my thing. You needed a license to buy guns, and I didn't have one.  
I mostly just ended up following Matako around while she reveled in a sea of iron, steel and bullets.  
The woman explained most of the accessories to me, and I ended up getting a new holster, and silencer.  
She bought me a gun, (because I had no permit) and I paid her back.  
She also got herself two new pistols. When we left the store, she gave me my gun, and I strapped it to my thigh.  
The leather holster was much nicer then the elastic one I had been using.  
We walked down the street, and I found an ice cream cart.  
"Would you like some?" Turning to the woman I was met with an amused smirk.  
"I've never seen you smile like that. Is it just the ice cream? Or maybe the gun?"

I hadn't realized I had been grinning, but it probably was the ice cream... We stepped into the line, waiting patiently.  
"The sign says they have berry dream... It looks really good... See?" I pointed to the picture, and she nodded.  
"Wow... That does look good... I want some too..." Surprise flickered across her face, and she stared at the image of the dessert.

"What's that green thing though?" The woman glanced at me, and I studied the image.  
It was of a single scoop of white ice cream in a glass bowl.  
Pieces of colorful fruit speckled the surface of the cream, leaving the consumer to ponder exactly what fruity delicacies were hidden inside.  
Red, and black pieces of berries were the first thing to catch my eyes, but Matako was right.  
There was a delicious looking green fruit as well.  
The line moved forward, and I peered at her.  
"It's probably kiwi..."  
She nodded, and once again we moved forward.

* * *

We waited for what felt like ages, yet was only five minutes.  
People had started to line up behind us, curving to avoid standing in the street.  
A large building across the road which appeared to be a movie theater released a crowd of people and we finally reach the front of the line.  
"Two berry dream." I stated, holding two fingers up, and the young man behind the counter frowned at me.  
"Sorry ladies, it's time for my break. Come back in an hour."  
He proceeded to wipe his hands off on a towel, completely unaware of the infuriating expression which twisted my face.  
Matako peered at me, looking just as pissed as I did.  
The people behind us started to groan in a mixture of distress, and disappointment.  
"I _said_ two berry dream..." I repeated, and the man peered at me.  
"Look miss, I know you had to wait in line, but a breaks a break. Come back later."  
The cool tone of his voice only succeeded in irritating me further.  
"Shit..." Matako muttered under her breath.

I couldn't let this happen. We waited for so long, almost being able to taste the frozen treat we had been so sure we would receive.  
For this man to cut the line off in the middle was unacceptable.  
We wanted our ice cream, and we wanted it now. People started to walk away behind us, and I glared at the man.  
We didn't deserve this. We were good customers.

_"GIVE ME THE DAMN ICE CREAM! NOW!"_ In unison we pulled our new guns out, and aimed at the man.  
He dropped his towel, and stood frozen in place.  
Alarmed, and shaking, the man held his hands out by his sides. His jaw was ajar, and he nodded feverishly.

"Y- Yes ma'am!" Grabbing two bowls, he pulled a tub of berry dream from a freezer and started to scoop it up.  
"Hurry up damn it, don't be chinsey! Give us real fucking scoops! Stop shaking damn it!"  
I started snapping the commands, and people lined up behind us once again.

"Yes ma'am! Yes ma'am!"

When the man finished filling our paper bowls, he placed two wooden spoons on the edge.  
"Put some fucking nuts on mine. The small chopped ones, not the whole ones." Matako hissed still aiming at the man.  
He nodded, and grabbed a small container with diced almonds in it.  
As he poured she started yelling.  
"More then that! What the hell do I look like to you!? Why would I only want one table spoon!? Hurry up damn it!"  
"Yes ma'am!"  
When he finished I pulled some money out of my pocket. I placed it on the counter, and put my gun away.  
"Be thankful you just got a tip. And give me those fucking paper napkins!"  
I snatched a large stack off of the counter, as well as my ice cream.  
Matako and I flashed each other disinterested expressions and we started away.


	22. Hanging Out

"This ice cream is so good! we should go back next time we hang out!"  
Grinning at me, Matako scooped up a large piece of the treat and I nodded.  
"Yes. Lets."  
We sat on a park bench, staring at a huge water fountain.  
On the walk here I informed her that I wanted a new place. We had talked about it a bit, and she mentioned a small house to me.

"I was looking for something a little more industrial..."  
The woman peered at me, nodding.  
"Oh, okay. I know the perfect place then. It's abandoned, and in town. The owner has been trying to sell it for years, got a good price too. Not too far from here..."  
She stated, and I raised an eyebrow.

"How does it look?"  
"The outside is the same as any abandoned pace, you know, graffiti, old posters, that sort of thing. Solid concrete."  
"That sounds nice." I noted.  
"Show me." Standing up, I polished off my ice cream and threw the bowl into a trash can.  
Matako nodded, trying to eat faster. Once she finished we started away.

The woman led me to a large building between two narrow structures.  
All three of the warehouses appeared to be empty and telephone lines draped across the top of them.  
Surprisingly we stood on a street lined with businesses.  
Cars passed by, yet a minimal amount of people were walking.  
"There are two large windows in the back... If you want to look inside."  
Gesturing towards an alley between two of the building Matako started through them.  
I followed behind her, noting that the end of the ally seemed to have a small forest, and pond.  
Vines hung from the trees, almost touching the dark water. Matako led me over the soft grass to so a large concrete step.  
She pointed at two round windows and I climbed up to peek inside.

With four panes, the window was a tall as me, and almost appeared to be a tunnel.  
standing in the indent of the wall, I brushed some moss and dirt from the glass.  
The warehouse was empty, and an occasional support beam protruded from the ground.  
The ceilings were high enough to have two floors, but there were no stairs. It was just one huge loft.

"I want it." I turned to face Matako. Her arms were crossed, and she nodded.  
"There's a number you can call out front. Let's go drink."

After taking the phone number down, we walked down the street.  
"Do you want to go to a bar? We could just get some drinks, and head back to my place."  
Pulling a cigarette from my wrist pouch, I glanced at the woman beside me. She shrugged, and I crossed my arms.  
"Well... Last time I went to a bar... It just didn't end how I expected. Let's go to a store. We can find something to do later."  
Making the decision for our night, I led her to a small convenience store.  
The isles were oddly empty, and a bright orange sign caught my eye.  
"Going out of business sale! Everything half off!"

Nudging Matako I pointed at it.  
"If only they had ammo." she sighed.

We strolled through the store for a few minutes before finding the right area.

The moment we started to walk through the liquor, I heard a bubbly voice behind me.  
"OI! Rein-Chan! - Crusty anus biscuit!"

Turning to peer over my shoulder, I found Tsu bouncing up to me, enthusiastically waving.  
Matako shifted her gaze between the me and the girl. The woman began to snicker, and I narrowed my eyes at her.  
"Tsu-Chan, what are you up to today?" I asked in a low voice. The girl stopped in front of me, Grinning like there was no tomorrow.  
"I just got done with a show! Right now, I'm buying all the makeup I want! -Rotten dog-berry cruiser."

Matako started to chuckle louder, and I glared at her.  
"Oh yeah? Sounds fun. We're about to head back to my apartment. Erm... Wanna come?"  
Invitations were never really my thing, but Tsu was a friend, no matter how you cut it.  
Though she had a habit of annoying me, the more the merrier, right?  
Tsu nodded enthusiastically, and turned to Matako.  
"Your clothes are so cute! - Dangling bottle bishop."  
Matako looked down at her outfit, and surprise crossed her face.  
"Erm... Thank you. So are yours."

"Tsu-Chan, this is Matako... You two can decide the honorifics amongst yourselves."  
Leaving it at that, I turned towards the quickly depleating shelves of alcohol.

When we left the store I was surrounded by women in pink. Who would have guessed?

Back at my apartment, both Matako, and Tsu stared at the walls in awe.  
"What happened here? Where's your table? Your couch is all shredded! - Sticky colon dancer."

Turning to face the women I shrugged.  
"I fell out of bed."

* * *

Drinking was never really my thing. People tend to get clumsy, and loud after a few shots.  
Since my tolerance wasn't as high as Tsu, and Matako's probably were, I suggested that they start drinking first.  
The women seemed skeptical, but I found a way to articulate my thoughts, promising that I would start soon after them.  
We sat in a circle on the living room floor.  
"Oi, Rein-Ch- Opps... Rein, We should all do something. - Beavers drinking fire noodles."  
I peered at Tsu, nodding. We had all agreed to not use honorifics on our names any more.  
After the first few shots, everybody was relaxed enough to not care.  
I had just finished my second, and Matako was pouring me another.  
"Yeah, you don't have a TV. What can we do though?- Cotton panda patties." Matako extended a newly filled glass towards me, and I accepted it.  
"I really haven't ever sat down just to watch TV. It didn't seem necessary... We could go out. - Liquid metal sandwich."  
Yes, that was me talking. We all started doing that somehow. Don't ask me how, it just happened.

"Hmm... Go where though? - Bloody rotten screwdriver." Matako asked pouring a round of shots for herself and Tsu.  
The two grinned at each other, their faces clouded with the same drunken haze that was claiming my eyes.  
"Does it matter? - Wooden screaming victims." I raised an eyebrow at her as I spoke, and she shrugged.

"Let's play a game! - Brain eating chipmunks!" Tsu pumped her fist into the air as she spoke,and we gazed at her.

"Like what? - Shit eating ovens." Matako shifted her weight to the side, sliding off of her legs.

"Let's run around and fuck with strangers! - plague ridden walrus!" Tsu suggested enthusiastically.  
Matako and I nodded slowly.  
"It sounds like a good idea... Alright... - Gruesome baby tigers."  
Standing up, Matako started towards the bathroom. "One second - Fuzzy cardboard lemons."

She left the room, and Tsu shifted her attention to me.  
"You said you're gonna move? If you're gonna get these walls fixed, I know a good company to call. - Motor oil lobsters."

"Alright- Crunchy- Wait, wait... Can we all stop doing this now? The author's brain might get a cramp..."

Tsu's mouth formed a small "Oh" and she stared at me silently, before nodded.  
"Yeah, I guess... Lazy ass author..." Pouting, Tsu stood up.  
"Let's grab some things to use. Like markers, and random things to throw at people."  
I rose to my feet, agreeing with the girl.

By the time Matako stumbled out of the bathroom, we had filled Tsu's purse with markers, baby powder, and some cookie dough.  
We also had the various things Tsu had already brought with her.  
When we started piling things into her purse, I got a random fit of the giggles.  
The thought of throwing these things at people tickled me to no end.  
I tried to bite down on my lips, but it just resulted in a louder explosion of laughter.  
Matako soon joined us in the kitchen.  
"What's so funny? - Angry corn monster."  
I started laughing harder, and walked over to her.  
"We're gonna take this cookie dough-" I pointed at a large rounded tube in Tsu's purse.  
"And make balls-!" Snickering I placed a hand over my hip, ignoring the dull ache.  
"And then we're gonna throw our balls at people!" Matako had been staring at me curiously, but she soon joined in, Laughing gleefully.

"Wait- Wait, Shhhh! Quiet guys- they're gonna hear you!"  
Tsu had been staring in the refrigerated up until now, but she turned to face us really quickly.  
The girl whipped around, shoving her face in ours. And one of her eyes had gone lazy. It was half closed, and she just stared at us like that.  
We fell silent for a moment, staring at the girl; waiting for her eye to do something, but when she blinked it stayed like that.  
It wasn't even blinking too.  
"Who's gonna hear us?!" Matako asked, covering her mouth.  
It was obvious that she was trying to suppress her amusement.  
"This is gonna be _fuunnnn_." Tsu stated in an oddly low tone. She dragged the U and N out, and her eye lid just kinda hung there.

"What's wrong with your face?!" I asked, unable to stifle my laughter any longer.  
I pointed at her eye, and she stood there unmoving.

When we finally made it outside, the sun had started to go down. We moved around the street, looking for victims.  
"Okay- Okay- Let's play "Get The Fuck Out Of My Way". The rules are- you must make the target move, without touching, or threatening them."  
Tsu had somehow managed to look normal again, and we all slowly walked through the crowd.  
"What about that guy? Matako, you go first." Tsu pointed to an older man who was sitting about ten meters away on a bench alone.  
"Okay. I've got this..." Matako pulled her gun out and started to aim at the man.  
"Wait- no! that's against the rules!" Laughing I grabbed her arm.  
"You're cheating!" I proclaimed and Tsu nodded.  
"Yeah, that kind of thing would probably make everybody run." She mused.

Laughing Matako nodded. "Damn, you didn't say that wasn't allowed at first though! I should get a freebie!"  
I wrestled with her arm, unable to contain my grin.  
"That's not fair!" I chuckled.  
"Yeah, you should make some kinda noise of something. Something weird!" Tsu stated, and Matako peered at her.

"No... Ugh, I'm not doing it if I can't shoot him!"

As she spoke we all started laughing manically.  
"Alright, alright- Rein, you go!" Tsu turned to me, and I nodded.


	23. Wild Nights

The girls hid behind a bush, as I sat on a bench next to a younger man.  
He could not have been a day over twenty five, and he was reading a news paper.  
I leaned against the armrest, facing him with my arms crossed.  
The man peered at me occasionally, probably wondering why I was staring at him.  
Dropping my gaze, a shadow fell over my face.  
"Oi..."  
The man peered at me, and a beam of light gleamed off of my eyes.  
"Are you an organ doner?"  
"Wh- What?" He asked and I bit down on my lips to maintain my deathly serious demeanor.  
"Are you an organ doner..? You see... I've a collection... And I only need one more  
pancreas... It's a very simple procedure..."  
My voice was low and stern. The sun had set, and we were surrounded in darkness.  
Fewer people were passing by and I could almost hear the a the man gulp.

Seeing that he had chosen to ignore me, I leaned towards him.  
"Would you like to see my collection?" He peered at me out of the corner of his eyes, not wanting to answer.  
I inched closer to him, holding a hand under his newspaper.  
"It's very pretty..." His eyes widened, and I flicked my lighter.  
I had been holding the lighter under his paper, and it exploded into flames.  
The man jumped up, and dashed away.  
Tsu and Matako walked up to me and we shared a moment of mutual laughter.

When Tsu's turn came, she got a woman. She sat on the bench beside her, and crossed her arms.  
There were no hiding spots, so Matako and I sat on a nearby bench; pretending to be completely uninterested in what was going on.  
"You know... A wise man once gave me a piece of advice." Tsu stated. The woman glanced at her, tilting her head to the side.  
"Oh really?" She asked, and Tsu nodded.

"A wallet clashes with the bearing landscape under a flower. How can an assault hog warn the damned..?  
Below a suicide turns another traded atheist... Return to him. If you love him..."

Tsu peered at the woman seriously, and Matako and I started to snicker.  
The woman stood up, and nodded. Tears welled in her eyes, and a low sob parted her lips.  
"You're so right... I- I was foolish to believe otherwise... Thank you!" She bowed to Tsu, and ran off in the opposite direction.  
We all stared after her oddly.

"Okay, let's do something else!" Standing up, Tsu grabbed our sleeves, and led us away.

Moments later, we were standing in a bar.  
"What the- We're already drunk!" Matako exclaimed.  
"Shh- They don't know that yet!" Tsu giggled.  
"Let's do this-" Without any explanation Tsu ran towards a pool table.  
A solitary man was about to break the triangle of balls apart, and as he aimed, Tsu ran up and slammed them all to one end of the table.  
"Oi! OI!" The man exclaimed, chasing after her.  
Matako and I watched as Tsu ran through the people laughing like a maniac.  
We soon joined in (Laughing that is), and Matako grabbed me.  
"Oi- Where does that elevator go? Is that how you get to the hotel?"  
I thought about it for a moment before nodding.  
"Probably..."

We rescued Tsu by snatching her into the elevator, and soon we were walking through the plain white halls of a hotel.  
"Okay, let's get on the next elevator we see... but first-" Tsu pulled the bottle of liquor out of her purse.  
"let's all take another shot!"  
We agreed with her, and took turns drinking from the bottle.  
"Go crazy- Don't even think about what you're doing, okay?" Tsu commanded, and we nodded.  
When we reached another elevator five people were already on it.  
We boarded the elevator like regular hotel customers. The people didn't expect anything at all.  
Tsu took out a stick of chalk and drew a box around herself.  
"This is my bubble okay? Don't come in here, or the demon lord will hate you, okay?"  
She turned to a man that was standing beside her, and every body stared at the girl.  
Tsu wore a sweet smile as she spoke, only adding to the creepy effect.  
Matako nudged me, motioning to Tsu's purse; she had left it outside of her bubble.  
Grabbing the bag, Matako handed me a marker, winking.  
I nodded, knowing what I had to do.  
I dropped the marker, and two men bent to pick it up for me. Before they could reach it, I shrieked.  
"NOOO! THAT'S MY PENCIL!" I dived for the marker, and the men stared at me; shocked.  
Before anybody knew it, Balls of cookie dough were being launched across the elevator.  
The people tried to run- tried to get off on their floors, but we dragged them back.  
It wasn't until a six sided puzzle cube was launched past my face, that I realized this wasn't a good idea.

It shot past me with enough force to shatter a human skull, and I stared in horror at the dull edge stuck into the metal walls.  
I turned to find Tsu grinning sweetly.  
Ducking down, I just barely missed being smacked in the head with a microwave.  
"TSU! WHERE ARE YOU GETTING THESE ITEMS?"  
I screamed, my voice barely loud enough to be heard over our victims cries for mercy.  
All hell was breaking loose, as baby powder, cookie dough, and various other objects flew around the air.

* * *

After five minutes we dashed form the elevator.

Some how we ended up on a neighborhood street.  
We sat beside a car that was parked on the curb, drinking more.  
"Okay... Everybody take a marker..." Tsu started passing out black markers, and turned to the white car.  
"What are we doing now?" Matako asked.  
"Shhh." Tsu placed a finger to her lips as she dragged the marker over the car.  
Soon a very crudely drawn penis was standing in all it's glory.  
We started to quietly snicker to each other, Matako and I joining in.  
We didn't stop until every square inch was covered in penises.  
Big ones, little ones, hairy ones, slimy ones, any penis you could ever imagine was there.  
"Here too..." Standing up Tsu drew a penis- The largest yet - on the wind shield.  
We crept off into the night, knowing there would be a very stunned mortified person in the morning.

"Oi- I wanna draw one on a Senshingumi car." I whispered.  
"Senshingumi?" Matako and Tsu peered at me, both holding significantly raised eyebrows, and I nodded.  
"And Gintoki's moped..." I snorted at the thought of Hijikata and Gintoki both waking to penises on their trusty vehicles.


	24. Wild Nights Pt2

"Oi, I'm not so sure about this now... What if he get's mad?"  
Though it was dark, a small amount of light illuminated the cars from a window.  
I guiltily gazed at Tsu and Matako over my shoulder.  
We had sneaked into the Senshingumi's garage, and stood over the car that I was sure was Hijikata's.  
The empty mayonnaise bottles gave it away.  
Tsu nudged me.  
"Go on- Do it!" She squealed. "It'll be fine- it's not permanent."  
Though Tsu spoke in a low voice, she somehow managed to make it sound loud. Or maybe she was speaking loudly. I don't know.  
The air had a slight chill to it, and smelled... Well, like a garage.

"Yeah- Jus- Just do it! That bastard is gonna fucking love it! He wants you to!" Matako piped in, oddly enthusiastic for some reason.  
"Are you sure?" I asked, chewing on my lip. I held the marker in my hand over the windshield.  
"It sounds like some one is sobering uuup!" Tsu grinned through her drunken stupor.  
"Matako- Hold her!"  
I turned to glance and Matako and the woman nodded eagerly.  
Before i knew it I was being forced to drink more.  
Tsu was laughing wildly, and Matako soon joined in. I waved my arms around, which were restrained by Matako.  
It almost felt as though I would drown.

When Tsu pulled the bottle back, she giggled.  
"Okay- Do it!"  
Wiping my mouth with a black sleeve, I nodded.  
"You know, you could have just suggested I drink more, dumb ass." I narrowed my eyes at Tsu,and she grinned.  
Matako also smiled, and Tsu raised the bottle to her lips.  
After taking a large gulp Tsu pointed at me.  
The clear liquid in the bottle swished around as she moved.  
"Yeah, but you wouldn't of made that face!" The women laughed and I rolled my eyes.

apparently I had dropped the marker, so I picked it up and proceeded to draw an enormous penis on Hijikata's windshield.  
When I finished, I snorted in amusement.  
"Here- add this!" Tsu pulled the marker from my fingers, and drew some lines and dots around the head.  
"What's that?" I asked.  
Matako covered her mouth, trying to stifle a wave of laughter.  
"It's- It's _jizz_!" Tsu exploded into a fit of giggles, and I joined in.

"Who's in there?!"

A voice caused us all to jump, and we peered at each other.

By the time the door opened and the lights flicked on, we were all hiding under different cars.  
We watched a pair of boots walk around us, and I peered at Matako.  
She was deathly serious, and watching the man walk around.  
When I glanced at Tsu, she grinned at me, and slowly swayed the bottle back and forth. At least the motion was silent.  
Soon the person left the room, and we escape the moment we had a chance.

* * *

During the walk back to my apartment we passed the Yorozura.  
"Oi- Rein, didn't you say you wanted to draw on Gin-Chan's moped too?" Tsu giggled as she spoke, and I nodded.  
"But again with the penises? We keep doing the same thing..." Matako glanced at us and i nodded.  
"You're right... We need to look at this from a different angle..."  
We all nodded in agreement, and I took the marker to the mans scooter.  
I started by drawing two wide U's and looping one over the bottom of the next.  
When I accomplished that task, I connected the top with an even wider U. Next i drew a hole in the middle.  
"See? A- A different angle!" I clamped a hand over my mouth, trying to silence my laughter.  
The girls mirrored my motion, and we grabbed our stomachs. Matako leaned back, her shoulders shaking, and Tsu leaned forward.  
Hushing them I started to write over the image, rounding the words to fit.  
"I am penis warrior!" It stated. Moving to the bottom, I continued.  
"Hear me come!"

Explosions of laughter took us, and we all started to walk away.  
"Wait- Wait! Before we go- you didn't draw the best part!"  
I raised my eyebrow at Tsu, waiting for her to reveal what she spoke of.  
Surely this was some form of trickery, I had just drawn a large penis on Gintoki's scooter. What could be better then that?

"The balls!" She pointed out. "Without them, that might as well be an eye!"  
Matako and I nodded thoughtfully, and Tsu ran back to the vehicle. Soon, she was scurrying back to our sides.  
I stared at the picture noticing something weird.  
"Tsu, why are they square?" I glanced at the girl, and she shrugged.  
"Maybe they're sitting on the ground or something."

We giggled all the way back to my apartment, where we immediately passed out.  
When we got there, we walked straight to my bed, and all three of us collapsed in our own little areas.  
We shared my ripped sheets, and claimed our spaces, passing around pillows.  
As we drifted out of consciousness, we held a light conversation.  
"What a night." Matako stated.  
"You know, Cotton Candy, I didn't think you could be so much fun." She added.  
Matako was curled into a ball on the left side of the bed, while I had taken the right.  
Tsu was laying with her head at the foot of the bed between us.  
Giggling lightly Tsu sighed.  
"Well, it's good to get out when you can." She stated.  
Serenity enveloped me, and I grinned.  
"Yeah. That was rather pleasing... You two are good friends..."

* * *

Hangovers seemed to be commonplace in the morning.  
Matako, Tsu and I all scuffed around the apartment, not speaking a word.  
We took turns taking showers, and I moved to the kitchen.  
There wasn't much to eat, and it wasn't like I could if there was anything.  
I was still drunk. And to make things worse my head was pounding.  
I grabbed three bottles of water and dragged myself back to the room.  
Tsu was in the shower, and Matako had apparently crawled back into the bed.  
Easing myself beside her, I laid a water bottle by the woman's side. she muttered a thanks, and I turned my back to her.

I tossed the third bottle to the foot of the bed, and when Tsu returned I pointed at it.  
I had given both of the girls a yukata to wear, and Tsu grumbled a thanks before climbing back into bed.  
We laid in silence, before Matako spoke.  
"Why the hell is it so bright?" Her voice was low, and groggy.  
That was a very valid question to ask, and Tsu and I responded in unison.  
"Iunno..."

"It's that damn sun..." Matako stated, and I nodded.  
Though I didn't want to move, I stood up, and grabbed an old towel from the ground.  
Pulling two daggers from my nightstand, I pinned the towel over the window.  
"Better..." I sighed, and we went back to sleep.

Phones seemed like a horrible invention at a time like this. Tsu's phone started to ring, and we all groaned.  
She answered in a lazy tone, and whoever was talking to her seemed to be nagging her to death.  
She sat in silence muttering an occasional "M'hmm" before hanging up.  
The moment her call was over it rang again, and she groaned in annoyance.  
"Tsunpo, I'm hanging out with Rein. I'll be back at the studio tomorrow. Not now. Any time but now..."  
After a moment of silence she added  
"Shiny breaded- Oh, I just can't do this right now. Fuck. Shiny breaded... Hangover." She hung up, and we fell back into our own worlds.

Not even an hour later Matako received a call. Tsu and I sighed as the woman answered.  
"Yes sir. Yes sir. Forgive me. Yes sir..."  
Apparently Takasugi was nagging her.  
"I- Got really sick... Rein is caring for me. I apologize..."

After a moment she hung up.  
Time for some real rest now.

* * *

We all slept through the entire day. The next morning we parted ways, but not after a brief chat.  
"There's cookie dough... In my purse..." Tsu was gazing at the melted food, and Matako laughed at her.  
"You're probably the only one who had a bag." she stated.  
I nodded in agreement, crossing my arms.  
we were all standing by the door, and I peered at the women.  
"What ever happened to that bottle? I don't see it any where..."  
Tsu nodded.  
"We threw it at that Amanto. The one that was trying to make us buy bobble heads. He was really persistent." She revealed.  
Matako shook her head.  
"No- YOU threw it at that Amanto. Because he recognized you, and you didn't want to sign an autograph."  
Laughing Tsu shook her head.  
"Don't get so technical!"

After giving me the number to a repair man, Tsu left. Matako thanked me for the fun, and followed behind the girl.  
They took their clothes with them, promising to return mine.

Later in the day, I called the phone number for that warehouse, and set up a meeting.  
With nothing else to do, I decided to call the repair company Tsu recommended.


	25. Innocent Dating

When the man arrived I had taken the couch to the dumpster, and folded the bed into a new couch.  
He wore a plain black work shirt that was tucked into his blue jeans.  
A tan leather work belt hung around his waist; filled with tools.  
I let him inside and showed him the damage.  
He said it would be easy to fix and proceeded to laugh at the fact that every single room had no less then five holes in the walls.  
He didn't ask me about the bullet holes, and I watched him work.

"So you plan to move or something? It's pretty empty in here." The man peered at me over his shoulder and I nodded.  
"Yes."

Sighing loudly, he ran a hand through his spiked brown hair, and pulled a utility knife from his belt.  
"You seem pretty quiet. Surprising. Most women your age never stop talking. It's a good trait. Being reserved, that is."  
"Hm." I didn't know why he was talking so much, so I just crossed my arms, and continued to watch what he was doing.  
Hopefully in the future I could do it myself.  
He trimmed a patch to fit the hole, and cleaned the wall up.

The entire time I watched him work, and he continued to make small talk with me.  
As he was leaving he stated that there were too many holes to cover in a single day, and he would have to return the next.

So of course he did. And he continued to talk to me.  
I had opted to treat him coldly, as I didn't understand why he would keep blabbing about meaningless topics, or telling me what a guy at work had said to him.  
His name was Taro. When he had finally finished, the place look as good as new. I paid him, and before leaving he turned to me.  
"So, um, don't take this the wrong way, but you're really beautiful. Would you mind meeting me for coffee, or lunch some time?"  
I stood frozen in the door way. What had I done wrong?  
I had been extremely careful about being stand offish, and only engaging in a minimal amount of conversations.  
Was it the bottled water? Should I not have given him that water?!

The man stared at me, a shy smile curling his lips, and I nodded.  
"Erm, yeah- We could..."  
His grin widened and he nodded.  
"What about tomorrow? I'm off of work."

* * *

And so it started. He had been the only person to actually ask me out, so we started dating.  
It wasn't anything serious. We would meet up for dinner occasionally, or go to a public bath to relax.  
Most days we met up we just walked, and talked.

A month passed, and I moved into the loft. I also called Dai to help me upgrade it.  
Dai ran the Wounded Warriors Retreat. It was the perfect place to train.  
Of course, my comrade would never let me down.  
He decorated it like the willow room I had rented, and didn't charge me for his time.  
Of course I bought the supplies with the help of another sold necklace.

One day, Taro and I met up. It was just for grocery shopping, but he always insisted on helping me carry the bags.  
Things had gotten a bit awkward, as he started to ask me why I always had weapons on me.  
It had only taken a week for me to receive my new sword from Kawakami, and Takasugi, and as I had planned I strapped both weapons to my back.  
My new sword was a very ornate blade. The middle of the blade was hollow, only meeting in a few choice locations, and the tip was separated in two.  
An intricate design trailed up the silver blade, and the handle was wrapped in a black cloth, and leather. A beautiful katana indeed.

* * *

Taro and I walked down the street, and a stand on the side of the road caught my eye.  
I had realized that we were by the Yorozura, but hadn't thought much of it. Gintoki and I hadn't spoke in over a month.  
Now the silver haired samurai stood on the side of the road with Shinpachi.  
They had a small stand in front of them and Kagura's voice could be heard over the crowd.  
"Get you're weed annihilators here! Their the best on the market! You can even use them as ceiling fans, just don't stick your head up there -Aru!"

Taro nudged me, and I glanced up at him.  
Trying to ignore the fact that my heart had begun to pound at the thought of being close to the samurai again, I took a deep breath.  
"That's silly. If they really want money, why don't they just get jobs?" His comment angered me, and I shifted my gaze.  
"You know... Not everybody has a conventional form of employment such as yourself." I couldn't help but sound insulted.  
I practically did the same thing as them. Just not in such an innocent way.

"Whoa, did I upset you? What did I say?" He sounded apologetic, but I shook my head.  
"You know, you still haven't told me where you work."

Avoiding the question, I stopped in front of Gintoki.  
It took a moment for me to turn to peer at him and Shinpachi, but when I did I forced a tight smile.  
"Oi, stupid, don't block the customers. If you're standing there, they wont see what we have."  
Gintoki was the first to speak, and I ignored his tone. As always he held a deadpan expression. Shinpachi smiled at me, before speaking.  
"Rein, it's been a while! How have you been?" The boy sounded the same as always, and I turned to peer at Kagura.  
"I'm doing well. So you're selling these things today? Weed annihilators?"  
I placed a hand on one of the green devices, and Taro grabbed my sleeve.  
"Babe, you know these people? What are you doing? You don't need that thing..."  
We all peered at him, and his brows furrowed.

"Eyebrow-San!" Before I could turn around, Kagura had wrapped her arms around me from behind.  
I was almost knocked over, and Taro steadied me.  
"Kagura-Chan!" I smiled at the girl, and she let go of me.  
"Eyebrow?" Taro asked, and I nodded to him.  
"Because I have a scar over my-" Gintoki interrupted me.  
"You two dating?" he asked, and I felt my face flush.  
I gazed at him, and he pushed his pinky into his nose.

"Well, that's better then good for nothing perm-head, he probably has a job." Kagura muttered the words and I felt my eyes widen.  
"OI! I have a job, damn it! Why are you slacking off?! Get back to work!" Gintoki commanded, obviously irritated.  
"You dated him?" Taro asked, and I shook my head.  
Every body was looking at me, and I glanced at Gintoki for help. None was found.  
"No- No- We weren't like that! It- Um- I-" Unable to stop stuttering I could find no excuse. Nothing to say.

"We just-"  
"We were friends..." Gintoki stated.  
Everybody looked at him, Shinpachi and Kagura both looking equally confused.

I nodded, and shifted my attention to the weed whackers.  
"Erm... Give me three of those things..." Gintoki studied me, and Taro shook his head.  
"You don't need those things."  
"Shut up." I responded.  
"Shinpachi... Give me three..."

When we returned to my loft and I started to put the groceries away.  
"Babe, where are you gonna put these? You barely even have a yard!" Taro was obviously annoyed by our run in with Gintoki.  
It was nothing compared to our meeting with the Senshingumi. Okita called me Hobo-San, and Hijikata just glared at the Taro.  
Yamazaki wished us the best, while Kondou laughed about my confession to him. In other words everything was a disaster.  
That night Takasugi called me in for a job. After telling Taro I had an emergency at work, I ushered him out of my house.

"Listen, we need to talk... Every time you get a call for work, you load up on weapons, and kick me out. Where are you going? What do you need all of that for? Why are you so secretive about it?!"  
I turned to face the man, unsure of what to say. Had he been watching me pull my weapons on?

"Later. I'll tell you later. I've got to go for now."  
He huffed in annoyance at my answer but nodded.


	26. In a Box

When I arrived at the warehouse Takasugi was very obviously hostile towards me.  
I didn't know why, but him and Kawakami sat at the table in his room.  
"Sir." I greeted him upon entering and he glared at me.  
"Sit." Was all he said and I nodded.  
After seating myself across from him, I waited for the details.  
Him and Kawakami proceeded to silently drink from some teacups that had been placed in front of them.  
"That Hagli girl has been released." Kawakami stated.  
I nodded, and continued to wait.  
"We saw you with somebody today." Takasugi raised his pipe to his lips, still very obviously angered.  
I raised an eyebrow at him, yet nodded.

"Tonight, I need you to infiltrate an organization that is opposing me. We will send one of our men to accompany you, and help deal with the excessive amount of guards. You are to retrieve a file, and return. Simple enough."  
After a few minutes of a thick silence Takasugi spoke.  
"Yes sir." I responded. And soon I was being sent on my way.  
I changed into a new custom suit Takasugi had ordered for me, and and left with an Amanto.

* * *

We drove to the hideout; a large warehouse, concealed by the dark of night.

It seemed to be abandoned, but once we sneaked inside it was obvious that it was not.  
It was a two story structure, and instead of entering through the first floor, we scaled the wall to a window on the second.  
The halls were packed with groups of men, all making their rounds.  
Though the building was dark, intruders could easily be located. The air was damp, and stale.  
The concrete made it cold, and foot steps could be heard behind us.  
Creeping across the solid floor, I slipped into a small opening in the wall. The Amanto joined me, hiding from the guards.  
We made it to the file room without confrontation. After searching the file cabinets, I found what we had come for.  
The moment I pulled the manilla folder from it's resting place an alarm sounded.  
"Not this again..." I turned to face the Amanto, and he was dashing away.  
'What the fuck?!'  
The file was connected to a wire, and I cut it off with a dagger.

Guards could be heard in the distance, and I slipped through one of the three doors of the room.  
The warehouse was like a maze, too many turns, too many options that could easily get you lost.  
Completely abandoned, I decided to just make my way towards the car.  
That cowardly Amanto would pay. We hadn't spoken the entire time, but I had expected such a stocky creature to at least be brave.  
Hiding on the side of a wall, I peeked out of a door way, watching tens of men rush by.  
The moment I saw and opening, I fled behind them, running in the opposite direction.  
I slipped the file into my clothes or safe keeping, folding it in half so it would fit through the fabric around my neck.  
The window we had slipped inside from was only a few meters away, relief crept over me, and I picked up my pace.  
Only to be halted by a large group of men.  
Pulling my swords out, I side stepped around them, slicing through two of the men.  
A fight began in the flash of an eye, and I was forced on the defensive.

The dual blades made it easy to achieve an occasional kill, while I blocked, but more and more men seemed to be piling into the room.  
I voiced my exertion, in the form of small growls of effort.  
The men around me were loud, and their cries of pain and determination flooded my ears.  
The few blades that did reach me were stopped by the Armour, and I was backed against a wall.  
_'Fuck!'_

I ducked out of the way, just in time to avoid a stab towards my face. The moonlight was barely enough to warn me of the movements.  
Ducking down I removed a number of legs, and with my right sword I sliced torsos, and arms.  
The men continued to pile up, and exhaustion seeped through my limbs causing a few small scrapes and injuries.  
But at a time like this, pain was nothing to focus on. I managed to move away from the wall, and charged back down the hallway I had come from.  
Avoiding the thick cement beams that stood between the floor and ceiling was the most difficult task.  
The men were hot on my trail, and I came across a large, wall sized window.  
Running straight towards it, I shattered the glass with the handle of my sword, and lept out side.  
There was nothing but grass below, and I did as my master had taught me.  
Tuck and roll. Of course, I had to drop my swords, but they were easily retrievable.

By the time I was on the ground, I quickly gathered my weapons.  
"Ground level, report! Intruder at the western wall! Be on your guard!"  
A man could be heard shouting, and I sheathed the sword I had found on the mission to capture Hagli.  
Without hesitation I ran through the forest, noting that the car we had used to get here was now gone.  
I had been left to die. Various guards were scattered throughout the forest, and I cut through them without a second thought.  
I would return to Takasugi, and give him a piece of my mind. And hopefully my gun as well.

When I made it to the road, I continued to run. There was no telling just how persistent the men would be.  
A cab was approaching and I hailed it. The driver stared at me oddly as climbed into the back.  
Probably due to the blood.  
"Take me to Edo..."  
Yeah, we had been out of town. And they pulled that sort of crap. Needless to say, I was pissed.

* * *

When I reached my loft, I slammed the door behind myself.  
Even the rich hard wood floor, and wonderful decorating Dai had done was not enough to cheer me up.  
I grabbed a panel in the wall and pulled the wood out. After sliding it away I turned on a small light. I now had a medical station.  
Unzipping my uniform I pulled the top off, and poured alcohol over the small cuts and scrapes.  
Some how I had managed to only get two deep gashes, and my cheek was also sliced.  
Hadn't noticed that.

After pulling my clothes on, I grabbed my phone. I would have to tell Taro I would be out of town or something until I healed.  
He couldn't see the scars. I still hadn't revealed my job to him, so it was crucial that he didn't grow any more suspicious then he already had been.  
The dial sounded, and when the line was picked up I waited for him to speak.  
"Taro?"  
No reply. Soon a blood curdling scream almost shattered my ear.  
It sounded like somebody had just run over a kitten with a semi.  
"What have you done with her?! What did you two do?!" A man could be heard in the back ground, yelling.  
"NOTHING! WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING!" That was definitely Taro's voice. He was much closer, I assumed he answered in secret.  
His phone was usually on vibrate.  
"Don't fucking lie to me, you son of a bitch! Have you fucked her?! Well? HAVE YOU?!"  
"No! No! We didn't-"  
"DON'T FUCKING LIE!" Whoever was yelling at him cut him off, and Taro started to scream again.  
My heart had dropped into the pit of my stomach which was twisting with grief.  
I had a good idea of who had done this. Dropping the phone I rushed from the house.

* * *

I made it to Takasugi's warehouse in record time.  
Letting myself in I pulled the gun from my thigh.  
Nobody was in the entrance so I started up the stairs.  
I silently slipped through the halls, only to find a group of amanto guarding a door I had never been inside of.  
Firing at the men, I just hoped that the one who had left me was amongst them.  
Two doors opened in front in front of me, and Matako and Kawakami peeked in the hallway.  
I glared at the two, preparing for a fight. Matako was aiming at me, but upon realizing who it was she glanced at Kawakami.  
He shook his head, and they returned to their rooms. At least they wouldn't stand in my way.  
Pulling out my swords I lunged towards the Amanto, who appeared to be prepared for a fight.  
I cut through the crowd in front of the door they were guarding. When none were left, I wiped my blades on their clothes, and sheathed them.

A gun would be a better approach in fighting Takasugi.  
That and a dagger, just in case he managed to get close.  
Wooden doors were not enough to stop me, I easily kicked it open, revealing Takasugi.  
His back was towards me, and he was gazing out of a large window. Aiming at the man, I started towards him.  
"Shinsuke... Where is Taro?"  
He turned to face me, scowling.  
A small red box the size of a book was in his hands and he took a step in my direction.  
"You mean that pathetic excuse for a boyfriend you had? I'm disappointed. A man with no fighting ability. Who had never even grasped a sword a day in his life. What exactly was he good for, _Babe?"  
_He hissed the word, and I glared at him.

"Damn it, this is no time for games! That mission was a hoax! You set me up!"  
Snatching the folder from my shirt I slammed it to the ground. A picture of a smiley face flew out of it, and he smirked at me.  
"You left me no choice." His voice was low, and he narrowed his eye at me.  
"Here he is..."

Takasugi opened the box in his hands, and my jaw dropped. I stared at the thing, completely stunned.

"This is what you wanted right?! What you came to save?!"

I stared at it, at a loss for words. Thoroughly perplexed. In the box laid a single penis. It was just there. There was nothing else. Just a penis.  
Taro's penis. I had never slept with him, but a wardrobe malfunction one day had given me enough evidence to know that, _that was his penis._

"You recognize it, don't you?! So that bastard was lying to me?!"  
I stared at him unable to suppress the shocked scowl that was twisting my face.

"Damn it- Answer me! This is what you came for, right?! ISN'T IT?! ISN'T IT?!" Takasugi continued to yell at me, and I stood my ground.  
All of the tension that had built inside of me left. Taro was gone. That was guaranteed. There was no doubt about it, or hope for him.  
Takasugi got in my face, shoving the box towards me, and I just stared at the man.  
"SAY SOMETHING! THIS IS YOUR FAULT! YOU MADE THIS HAPPEN! TALK, DAMN IT! LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID!"

My curiosity left me, and was replaced by rage. Tightening my grip on my dagger, and gun, I slammed them to the ground.  
There was no reason to fight if there was no hope in saving him. I turned away and started from the room.  
Takasugi stood in the middle of the wooden floor holding the penis box open.  
"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU GOING?! GET BACK HERE! YOU BETTER NOT WALK AWAY!"

Leaving the room I aggressively walked to Kawakami's door.  
I knocked, and the man answered. He stared down at me, frowning.  
"Bansai! What the fuck is going on here?! Where is Taro?!"  
He shook his head, and I clenched my teeth.  
"How could you let him do that shit?!"  
Takasugi was following after me, still yelling.  
"I'M NOT FINISHED! GET BACK HERE!"

Kawakami shook his head again.  
"I didn't... He did this on his own..."

Huffing in frustration, I gazed at Takasugi who was still approaching, holding the box open.  
"TAKE IT! TAKE IT WITH YOU! YOU'VE RESCUED YOUR BOYFRIEND NOW, RIGHT?! THIS _IS_ HIM, RIGHT?!"

Kawakami peered at the box, scowling, and I snatched it from Takasugi.  
He glared at me, and without a word I stomped away from the two.


	27. Boxes Bring People Together

I didn't stop until I reached my house. Though it was night time, I had to tell somebody.  
To talk to somebody, anybody, who might know what to do in this sort of situation.  
The house was dark, and after flipping a light on, I walked to the round windows in the back.  
I didn't feel like going to sleep, or climbing the metal spiral staircase Dai had installed to my bedroom.  
Pushing the black curtains aside I stared at the pond in front of the forest.  
Moonlight reflected off of the surface of the water, and the trees beyond were covered in a black shadow.

Turning back to the clean lines of the loft I penis box was still in my hands, and anger consumed me.  
I had to tell Gintoki. This was his fault.  
Leaving my loft, I stormed to Gintoki's apartment. Time didn't matter, he would get a piece of my mind.

* * *

When I reached the Yorozura, I opted to go take the Sarutobi route instead of knocking at the door.  
His house was easily entered by his window, the hardest part was scaling the wall.  
Not caring about my wounds, or his rest, I pulled his window open and let myself in.  
the man was sleeping, and I walked to his side. I tightened my grip on the box, and nudged him with my foot.  
"Wake up!"  
He groaned and rolled over, only furthering my annoyance.  
"Gintoki! Wake up!" I nudged him again, only harder, and he shot straight up in his bed.  
Though the room was dark he seemed to recognize me.  
"What the fuck- What are you doing here!?"

"Ass hole! This is all your fault! If you weren't so damn stubborn! If you had actually had the balls to act like you care about me this would not have happened!"  
I hissed the words at him, and he scratched his head.  
"What are you talking about?! You break into my house to blame me for something I don't even know about?!"

Shaking my head I felt my eyes begin to burn.  
"All that's left of my boyfriend is a penis!"

"WHAT?!"  
Moonlight reflected off of his widened eyes, and I nodded.  
"There's just a penis! He's gone!" I wailed, and Gintoki continued to watch me, completely startled.  
"He said that was all I wanted! Made me take it when I was leaving!"  
"It came off?!" Gintoki asked, jumping up, and grabbing my shoulders.  
"I hadn't even slept with him yet! He didn't even know about my job!" I cried, and Gintoki continued to stare at me.  
"Was it at your house?!"  
"No! My boss had it!"  
"WHAT?!"

Gintoki was completely freaking out now. He didn't understand, and I didn't want to explain.  
"Why did your boss have it?! What was he doing with it?!"  
"He's the one who took it!" Unable to contain myself I leaned on Gintoki's shoulder.  
"Gintoki... Takasugi took my boyfriends penis... And probably killed him..."

He gasped, and his hands slipped from my shoulders.  
I started to sniffle, there was nothing I could do. I had been too late.  
Maybe if I had gone straight back to Takasugi, instead of home.  
Taro was still alive then. Probably confused, and scared.

Pulling away, I walked to his light switch.  
"Look, Damn it! This is your fault!" After flipping the lever I walked to his side, and thrust the box in his face.  
He stared at it curiously for a moment. The man took the box, and when he lifted the top, he screamed and dropped it.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! YOU HAVE IT?! WHY DID YOU BRING IT HERE?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH IT?!"

"It's your fault! You did this! You actually know how to fight damn it! Takasugi would never take your dick! This is-"  
"Gin-Chan! What the hell is going on in there?!"  
We both jumped in front of the penis, which had dropped to the floor, as Kagura slid the door open.

She wiped her eyes lazily, and stared at me.  
"Eyebrow-San..? What are you doing here?"  
"We're- We're-"  
I peered at Gintoki, seeing that he couldn't come up with an excuse.  
Thinking quickly, I grabbed his hand and placed it on my chest.  
"We're doing dirty things again!" I stated, probably a little too cheerfully.  
"Well shut up about it..." Sliding the door closed, Kagura walked away.  
Gintoki and I peered at each other.

"This- This is your fault..." I stated, dropping my gaze.  
"I didn't do anything!"Gintoki growled back to me. He snatched his hand away, and started across the room.  
"That's the problem! If you would have done something, we wouldn't be here now! Or maybe we would, but on different terms!  
You- This was all a mistake between us... I was supposed to kill you- You're the only person who's slipped by me-"

"A mistake is proof that someone was at least trying to accomplish something." Gintoki shifted his gaze, and I dropped mine to the penis by my feet.

Sighing loudly, I grabbed the box from the floor and tried to scoop it up.  
Touching that thing wasn't a pleasant thought, and Gintoki watched me for moment before walking to my side.  
"I can't bring your penis back to life... But I can at least help you get it where you need it to be..."  
He held his shoe in one hand and pushed it back into the box.  
I gazed at him, closing said box.  
The man held a sympathetic expression, and I sat on the floor.  
"What do I do? With it? With my job..?"  
"Bury it in the park..." Gintoki took the box from me, and left the room.  
When he returned, he laid back down.  
"Come over here..."

I peered at the man, before nodding and crawling to the bed.  
As I laid down, Gintoki wrapped his arms around me.  
I buried my face in his neck, trying not to cry.  
His hand laced through my hair, and he tightened his grip around me.  
"I'm sorry..."


	28. Who To Blame

Gintoki and I laid in place through most of the night, neither of us speaking.  
We laid facing each other, and the man wrapped his arms around me.  
Just as I was about to doze off, I got a phone call.  
We sat up, and Gintoki watched me, as I pulled my phone from my wrist pouch.  
The screen read Taro, and my heard began to pound.  
Gintoki and I peered at each other, and I answered the call.  
"Taro?"  
"Rein... Get over here. We need to have a meeting..." It was Takasugi.  
Figures.

Scowling I shook my head.  
"Fuck you! Go talk with that damn Amanto, or Bansai! You're not my _boss_, I'm a free lance. You've gone too far this time- I don't _have_ to work for you, you know!"  
Takasugi sighed on the other side of the line.  
"Shut up. Come here."  
"No. I refuse. Have your men do those jobs from now on. You set me up, you gave my boyfriend a Penectomy..."  
I didn't understand why he was calling me now. Over an hour had passed, and he hadn't even really tried to stop me from leaving.  
"Listen, that's not important-"  
"Not important?!" I cut him off, only to have the phone taken from me.

Gintoki placed the phone against his ear, and I stared at him. He was relatively expressionless, and sighed.  
"Moshi moshi. Ehh, right now we're having a sleep over, no phones allowed. But if you have a problem with that, you could try to take the little johnny that she's actually had."  
Takasugi could be heard yelling when Gintoki finished.  
"Gintoki! Damn you! I'll-"  
Snapping the phone closed Gintoki laid it down beside the futon, and I peered at him through the darkness.  
"I told you not to work for him again- Stupid."

Without a word he laid back down. I remained in place, watching him prop his arms behind his head.  
A moment of silence passed, and I placed my hands on his chest; leaning over the man.  
"But what about your-"  
"He'll never get my meat stick 2000." He interrupted.  
We gazed at each other, and sigh parted his lips.  
The man moved his arms around me, and rolled over; trapping me underneath himself.  
"So you say this is my fault? Because I wasn't clear enough? That you needed more affection, but I didn't give you any?"  
I looked away from him, not wanting to answer. It seemed silly, to blame him, or even hint that I may have needed more.  
Gintoki moved his hands to my wrists, and worked himself between my legs.  
The man lowered himself until his face was only inches from mine.  
"Have you ever thought for a moment that it's because you were so indirect? You never really admitted to liking me. Only once. And after that you started that hate nonsense again. You wouldn't even admit that you liked being around me."

He laid on top of me, waiting for an answer. I remained silent, contemplating his words.  
When the man realized that I wouldn't respond, he continued.  
"What exactly did you do with him? If you didn't sleep together, what was the point?"  
"We... Just hung out... Nothing serious..."  
"Did you even kiss? Would you even sleep in the same bed?"  
Shifting my gaze again, I tried not to let the irritated tone of his voice get to me.  
"No..."

Sighing loudly, Gintoki looked away.  
"Then how could you call yourself dating?"

A heavy silence hung in the air, and a breeze blew in from the window I had never closed.  
Without warning Gintoki captured my lips. I remained frozen in place wondering what to do, or how to react. My boyfriend had just been killed, and now I was being kissed by somebody else. That's definitely not okay... Right?  
Turning my head, I broke the contact of his lips. The man peered down at me, and I could see the ghost of a scowl creasing his brow.  
"You want me to be more assertive? I wasn't enough for you?!" He growled the words, and I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes.  
"You're practically the one who ended it... Flipping out over the weapons, and breaking the necklace I gave you... Then with Tsukuyo... You know..."

Not responding, Gintoki placed his lips on my neck. I didn't move, or look at him, just allowed him to explore my skin as he had done so long ago.  
It had only been a little more then a month, but it felt like an eternity. Taro had never done such a thing.  
I hadn't really ever kissed the man. But Gintoki was different.


	29. Who To Blame Pt2

"Do you know what you need at a time like this?"  
Gintoki mumbled the words against my neck, and I could feel the vibrations coursing through my skin.  
"Sleep?" I couldn't help but ask, that's what he always said. He would act all lusty, and sexy, then tell me I need milk or sleep.

"No..." His teeth tightened around my neck, and I felt myself twinge in excitement.  
"Can we really..?" I couldn't compete the question. It was too embarrassing.  
"Are you still mine?" His words caused my breath to catch. His? Still? Was I in the past?  
When I didn't answer, he sighed loudly. Warm breath tickled my neck, and I squirmed under him.  
"I'll take you... Claim you as my own... Before you get away again... You're mine..."

"Claim?" I peered at the man as he pulled away from my neck.  
"But I haven't changed... I'm still-"  
"We all grow at our own paces. That dagger you gave me... It's important in ways you can't imagine... It shows my growth. Changing doesn't mean you're different. It means you've improved- learned..."

As he spoke he pulled my yukata open. I averted my gaze, unsure of how to respond.  
"And if you ever find yourself dating another man... I'll steal you. You can't be with anybody else..."

Though the darkness concealed the man's expression, I could hear the jealousy in him.  
I shied away from his touch, but he firmly held me in place. A hand slipped between my thighs, and he started to roughly stroke me through my panties.  
Squirming, I tried to contain the small pants that he was pulling from within me.  
"Remember that..."

His fingers slipped under the fabric, and he pushed inside of me.  
"G- Gintoki... We-"  
"Shut up..." He cut me off and leaned up, pulling my bra down.  
"If he went so far as to kill your boyfriend, he wants you... He can't have you."  
His words hung in the air, and I bit down on my lip, hoping to silence myself.  
Though I was trying not to react, I couldn't help but squirm against him as he added another finger to the equation.  
"Are you enjoying yourself?" I glanced at him from the corners of my eyes, not wanting to respond.

Pulling his fingers out of me, he started to pull his shirt off. I leaned up, placing my hands against his skin.  
It burned beneath my finger tips, and I made a trail down to his boxers.  
As I pulled them away from him, he slid my yukata from my shoulders. The man placed two fingers under my chin, and raised my lips to his.  
He didn't make contact, just remained a breath away from me.  
I could almost feel him against me, and he placed his free hand on the small of my back.  
"Damn... I've missed you..." His words surprised me, and he stole a kiss from me.  
I melted under his touch, and my mind blanked. Nobody could do this to me- only him.  
It was amazing how he controlled my body in such a way. A single word was like the air I so needed to survive.  
I hungered for him, and in that moment, I knew he felt the same. It was indescribable. He had a spell over me, and I couldn't refuse his touch.

The man tugged against my underclothes, slowly freeing me from the restraints. I had waited too long to hear him tell me that he wanted me. It felt like an entire life time had been spent secretly craving him.

He placed himself against me and I eagerly welcomed him, showing that he could have his fill; that I needed this as badly as him.  
Though I expected him to be as rough as before, he eased inside of me, slowly, teasing me as he did so.  
A low moan parted my lips, and my head rolled back, providing easy access to my neck; which he did not hesitate to take advantage of.  
His lip tenderly slipped across my skin, and he raised my leg up with a strong arm, stroking himself inside of me.

The man groaned ever so lightly, and I savored the sound.  
Sliding my hand across his solid muscles, I caressed his back, pulling him against myself. He pushed deeper, accepting my invitation.  
"Do you feel this too?" He huskily breathed the words into my ear, and I pushed against him, unable to answer.  
He must have been referring to the euphoria of being together; of having one another so close, as if we were one.  
His hand slipped up my side, and to my chest.  
The man rolled one of my nipples between his fingers, and my back arched. The air was filled with low pants of desire, from both of us.  
Picking up his pace, Gintoki pushed me back onto the futon.  
His strong hands grasped my hips, and he drove himself deeper, causing my moans to grow louder.  
He placed his lips against my stomach, slowly making a trail to my collar bone.

Roughly pushing against me, he groaned loudly, and I laced a hand through his soft hair.  
Our bodied burned together, writhed in a shared state of ecstasy.  
It was too much to bare, and I felt my pleasure building inside of me.  
An involuntary muscle spasm let him know that I couldn't hold out much longer.

Releasing my hips, Gintoki pulled my hands from around himself. He pinned my wrists to the floor moving them above my head.  
Completely exposed, I squirmed against him. I needed more, and he happily provided.  
Moving one of his hands over my wrists, he cupped my cheek with the other.  
The man's actions slowed almost to a halt and he placed his lips beside my ear.  
"Say it..."  
What was he referring to? Say what? I couldn't think straight. What did he want?  
He slammed into me, and I pressed my body against his, crying out.  
"Say it..." He repeated, and a moan took me. Was he referring to..? Did he want me to confess to him?  
Repeating the motion, he lightly bit down on my ear.  
"Tell me how you feel... Admit it..."  
He was. He wanted me to reveal myself to him. To make myself vulnerable.  
I couldn't. It was too much. Why did I need to say it? What would that accomplish?  
He stopped moving, and pulled away from me. Moonlight shined through the window, illuminating my features as he peered down at me.  
"I won't hurt you..."  
I shifted my gaze from the man, unsure of whether I should tell him; if It was a good idea.  
"I..." Glancing up at him I felt my face burn. Why would he do this at such a time? If my hands weren't pinned over me I would cover my face. The thought was too much, and I just wanted him to continue. Sucking up my pride, I bit down on my lip.

"I... I love you..." He gazed down at me, nodding. Gintoki released my wrists, and held himself over me.  
He leaned towards me, leaving almost no space between our lips as he spoke.  
"I love you too." With that he connected our lips. The man slammed into me, and my surprised cry of pleasure was muffled by his mouth.  
Gintoki's hand slipped down to my clit, and he rubbed against me with two of his fingers.  
Roughly pumping into me, the man groaned into my lips. Satisfaction built inside of me, tingling within my limbs.  
My need for his touch was fulfilled. Desire pooled inside of me, and I rocked my hips against him.  
Gintoki's breath caught, and waves of pleasure washed over me, as I released myself.  
He froze inside of me, pulsing as he reached his peak. We moaned in unison, muscles stiffening as our bodies were taken by the warm grasp of ecstasy.

When our orgasms subsided he collapsed onto me, and I returned my hand to his hair, holding him against myself.  
My free hand wrapped around him, massaging his back. We panted in unison, allowing our sweat to mix.  
He didn't pull out of me, instead he leaned back up, pushing his lips to mine.  
I eagerly accepted the kiss, and our tongues met. Pulling back, he peered into my eyes.  
"I love you too... So you better not run away from me again. Don't even try. I'll always find you. You'll always be mine."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." I responded, and a mutual smile curled our lips.  
The man laid back down, wrapping his arms around me. He pulled out of me, and I moaned at the sensation.  
Our breathing steadied, and I laced one of his curls around my fingers.  
"That feels good." He sighed, and I placed my lips against his forehead.  
Though I didn't want to reveal my true feelings to him, I was glad that I had.  
He had accepted me, and an undeniable state of bliss consumed me, us.

Before we drifted to sleep, he mumbled an unexpected statement, that almost made me laugh.

"You really didn't have to shove that little johnny in my face..."

* * *

**A/N: Whoa, cue the steam. Wow. Confessions have been made. I didn't expect this. It just kinda happened. Yay!  
:3 Idk if Gin acted sort of Ooc. Maybe, but then again maybe not? Well, what ever he did it was hot. XD**


	30. Relationships are Awkward

The next morning Gintoki and I awoke to the sound of Sadaharu trampling around the apartment.  
The man groaned, and rolled over, pulling me with him. How could he do that when he's sleeping?  
It didn't take long for the door to slide open, and I peered at the boy who stood in the doorway.  
Shinpachi was staring at us, slack jawed, and Gintoki barely even glanced at him.  
"What?" The man hissed, and Shinpachi just leaned back, holding his hands out.  
"G- Gin-San... Erm... Rein... San... There's breakfast..." The boy could barely stutter a response, and Gintoki sighed.  
Though we were fully covered, Shinpachi was still shocked. He continued to stare, and I shifted my gaze to Gintoki.

"Are you just gonna stand there Patsuan? Get out!" Leaning up, Gintoki almost pulled the blanket from over me.  
I gripped it tightly, sitting up as well, but apparently it was too much for the boy to take.  
Shinpachi's eyes were still wide, and he placed a hand to his nose trying to look away.  
"Get out!" Gintoki echoed, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at the boy. the door slid closed and the pillow hit the floor.  
When we were alone again, Gintoki turned to me.  
"You're spending the day with us. We've got to put your friend to rest..."  
I peered at the man, noting that his hair had grown wild over the course of the night.  
Light room the window illuminated his silver tips, almost making them blonde, and I reached up to play with one of the curls.

He raised an eyebrow at me, as I grabbed one of the locks, and I small smile curled my lips.  
"You- You look like you've been electrocuted..!" Trying to stifle a wave of laughter I was met with an annoyed glare.  
"Oi! Don't make fun of my hair! You don't know-"  
"Yeah, yeah- The PAIN of having Permanent-Permed hair... I know!"  
Reduced to nothing but a fit of giggles, I leaned back onto one of my hands, ignoring the menacing frown he was flashing me.

"Shut up, stupid." Gintoki started to stand, but I grabbed his arm.  
"No- Wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-" My words were cut off by more laughter, and he leaned down beside me.  
"You should keep doing that..." My amusement was cut short when he started to lean into me.  
I stared at the man wide eyed, unsure of what to do.  
"What?" I asked, and he smirked.  
"Smiling..."

A small kiss slipped across our lips, and soon we were getting dressed.  
When we entered the living room Gintoki sat down on the couch placing one of his legs across the seat, and allowing the other to remain on the floor.  
He leaned into the arm rest, and stared at the TV, watching the news.  
I sat down on the opposite end of the couch, and he leaned up, raising a single silver eyebrow at me.  
"Why are you all the way over there?"  
I peered at him shrugging. Maybe because I figured things would be like before, and he didn't want me to get clingy?  
The man wrapped his arms around my waist, and pulled me between his leg; forcing me to lean back on him.  
The closeness was already panic inducing, as it was different in private, but here any body could see. And they would.  
The man draped one of his arms across his bent knee, and left the other around my waist.  
Nothing could be done, so I just stared at the TV, hoping to not be so embarrassed.  
Shinpachi very slowly walked to our sides, frowning in confusion.  
"Oi, erm... You two... I've made a western breakfast... Eggs. Toast... Things like that..."  
We peered up at the boy, and Gintoki nodded. The look Shinpachi was making caused my face to flush, and I averted my gaze.  
"Just bring it here." Gintoki responded, and Shinpachi nodded.  
I was half expecting some sort of comment about laziness, but the boy started away.  
"I- I can help him..." I offered, starting to lean up, but Gintoki tightened his grip around me.  
"No. Stay here."

I glanced back at the man, only to be met with a deadpan expression. So very reassuring.  
He started to lean towards my lips, and my face began to burn worse then before.  
"G- Gin... Shinpachi-"  
"Doesn't mind..." Though he was trying to finish my sentence, he actually used the wrong words.  
I was thinking of something more along the lines of 'Shinpachi is going to return and have a heart attack from the shock of us kissing and being so close because we've claimed not to be anything more then friend time and time again' but since I couldn't say all of that...

Capturing my lips, Gintoki slid his hand into my yukata, only furthering my panic. He was only gripping my waist, but still.  
A hand in my robe. Practically in public. Not very comforting.  
The sound of a plate being placed on the table next to us, didn't stop him, and I had to pull away to look at the boy.  
He was gaping down at us, and I shifted my gaze.  
"Th- Thank you... Shinpachi..."

"Stop staring Glasses." Gintoki reached for the plate, and I leaned up to allow better movement.  
The door slid open, and Kagura came in the house riding on Sadaharu.  
"Oi- Perm head! You better not have eaten it all!"  
Gintoki turned to face the girl as she dismounted her 'steed'.  
"Me?" He asked sarcastically.  
"I have to start eating before you- If I don't I'll starve! You're the one who-"  
"Eyebrow-San!" Kagura bounced up to us, cutting Gintoki off.  
"Are you two done doing dirty things again? Why are you sitting on Gin-Chan?"  
Shifting my gaze, I started to twiddle my fingers, trying to think of a response.  
"We're never done doing dirty things. We're dating. Kids like you shouldn't worry about what adults are doing."  
Gintoki stated, lifting a piece of toast to his lips.  
We all turned to face him wide eyed, and slack jawed.  
"No way! You two are-"  
"What?!" Shinpachi cut Kagura off, and I covered my face entirely.  
I knew it wouldn't have any effect- I couldn't actually disappear- but I just couldn't look at them right now.

A long string of questions soon filled the room things like "How did you get her" or "Did you drug her" and statements like "This has got to be blackmail".  
"Shut up!" Growing annoyed Gintoki snapped the response, and the two kids shared a mutual moment of silent confusion staring at each other.  
I looked at everybody hoping that my face had returned to it's normal shade of... Well, not pink, and Gintoki handed me a piece of toast.  
"You two stop staring! Go do something useful! Clean up- Find some money, something!"  
His words seemed to snap the kids from their trance, but it didn't stop the odd confused looks we were getting.  
They walked away, and left us to eat in silence.

"Oi, look- Ketsuno Ana." I pointed at the screen, and a large grin slipped across Gintoki's face.  
We continued to eat the food Shinpachi had prepared, and while I wasn't fond of being so close, sharing a plate wasn't too intimate.  
After turning to face him, I draped one of my legs over his to have easier access to the plate.  
The other was folded under me, and I would just slip an occasional bite of his food, opting to eat some fruit later.  
It only took a few minutes for Gintoki to turn the TV off, and I peered at him, slightly shocked.  
"Ketsuno Ana wasn't done talking..." I stated, and he nodded, placing the almost empty plate on the table.  
"Yeah, but she probably can't defend herself... Or trick me into saying I love her..."  
As he spoke, Gintoki leaned towards me, and I leaned back.  
"I didn't trick you! You're the one who-"  
"Waited for you to finally confess?" The man pushed me back on the couch, using the position of my legs to easily rest himself against me.  
"Gin! Not here!"  
Just as he was about to place his lips against my neck, the sound of a door sliding open caught our attention.  
We both turned to look at the closet, and Kagura and Shinpachi were peeking at us from the cracked door.

"OI! Damn it! Stop being nosy! Patsuan! What are you doing in the closet too?!"  
The door slid closed, and Gintoki sighed.  
"Let's take a shower..."


	31. Funerals

Steam filled the small bathroom in the Yorozura, and Gintoki and I walked into the door.  
He had offered to let me wear one of his yukatas and I agreed, saying we should stop by my new place so I could get my clothes.  
As I started to disrobe myself, the man walked to my side,and I leaned against the counter.

He didn't speak at all, just started to slide my clothes off, and I pulling his off the same.  
When there was nothing left between us, I draped my arms around his shoulders, and he wrapped his around my waist.  
Our lips connected in an all to passionate kiss, and he walked backwards towards the shower. Some how we ended up tripping.  
Gintoki fell back into the bottom of the tub, and I fell along with him. His legs hung over the side of the tub and I rested my knees in the bottom.  
Our kiss hadn't even been broken and I pulled away from the man, lifting myself with my palms. Warm water sprinkled over us, and we grinned.  
It was such an awkward scene I couldn't help but laugh.  
Gintoki chuckled with me, and leaned up.  
"I think if we do anything we'll die right now- You're clumsy."  
"Me?" I asked, leaning up to allow the man to slip into the tub completely.  
"It's your bathroom- You should know where the bath tub starts!" I stated, as he started to stand.  
"Yeah, but you were distracting me." He offered me a hand, and I accepted it raising to my feet.  
We shared his soap, and he took the liberty of covering me in suds. I poured some soap in my hands, rubbing it on his chest.  
Gintoki placed his hand on my lower back, pulling me against himself.  
Perched against the cool tile of the wall, I ran my hands over the pronounced ridges of his muscles.  
We didn't really do anything, just play around and laugh the whole time.  
Realizing that we hadn't brought a change of clothes, Gintoki wrapped up in a large white towel. when we were finished.  
"We'll be warmer this way." He grinned, and I leaned back chuckling.  
"You're gonna scare the kids!"

"They'll be fine! They need to learn not to be so damn nosy anyway!"  
Shaking my head, I placed my hands against his chest.  
"There's another towel right there!"  
"No- That one isn't real." He stated matter-of-factly.  
"Not real?" As I spoke he pulled the towel up and around my shoulders.

We opened the door, only to find Shinpachi and Kagura peering at us curiously.  
All four of us held odd expressions, and Gintoki closed the door.  
"I'll get the clothes..." Sighing to himself, he grabbed the 'Fake' towel and left the room.

Later in the day all four of us left the Yorozura. I was wearing Gintoki's yukata, and we walked to my loft.  
We opted to bring the penis box, and Sadaharu along as well, seeing as to how we would hold a 'funeral' after I changed.  
"Eyebrow-San. This place looks all shabby. -Aru" Kagura was referring to the outside of the warehouse, and I nodded.  
Old posters clung to the walls, and vines were climbing the bricks.  
"I know." I stated, unlocking the door. Their attitudes changed once we got inside.  
The three of them stared in awe of the room, gawking at the stone bathtub, and hardwood floors.  
When I walked to the wall and pulled a closet out of what appeared to be nowhere I thought Gintoki would have a heart attack.  
He threw his arms around me, and I turned to peer at him, slightly startled.  
"Let me live here! It's too much!"  
Chuckling, I shook my head.  
"You can come over whenever you want."  
Sadaharu could barely fit in the door, but once inside the dog made himself at home, laying across a large floor rug.

Shinpachi was standing by the windows in the back peering at the forest.  
"Gin-chan! Look at this view!" Gintoki rushed to the boy's side, and Kagura started up the stairs to my bed room.  
"It's nice up here too!"  
Internally laughing I grabbed my green yukata, opting to pair it with a black belt.  
I pushed my closet out of sight, and pushed a small portion of the wall away revealing my bathroom.  
"You guys can watch TV while I get ready. I just have to-"  
"You have a TV!?" Gintoki turned to peer at me over his shoulder and I nodded.  
"Where?!" He asked, and I motioned to the wall in front of the couch.  
The man walked to the wall and stared at it, obviously confused.  
Moving to his side, I pressed a small panel on the wall in and pushed it out of the way revealing a large flat screen that Dai had installed.

His eyes widened, and he stared at it in shock. Before, i had thought it was a useless thing to have, but it was worth seeing Gintoki make such a face.  
"The remote is over there." I pointed to the table before going into the bathroom to change.

* * *

Everything was fine until I heard Gintoki shout.  
"Stupid mutt! Let go!"  
I opened the door to the bathroom, only to find Gintoki fighting Sadaharu for the penis box.  
"What's in there Gin-San?" Shinpachi asked rushing to the man's side to help.  
"It's- It's the key to manhood! Oi! Brat! Stop the mutt!"

Kagura descended the stairs of my room wearing two very expensive necklaces, and a jeweled crown that I had found a few weeks back.  
"Gin-Chan! Look! I'm Miss Yato Princess 3000!"

"Where did you get that!?" Gintoki shouted, and I dashed to the girls side.  
"Kagura-Chan! You probably shouldn't play with those!"

Gintoki managed to get the box away from Sadaharu, but he fell back, and the penis fell to the floor.  
Shinpachi screamed, and I ran to the dog as it pounced on the 'treat' taking it into it's mouth.  
"Sadaharu! Don't-"  
Jumping to his feet Gintoki brought a large fist down on the dog's nose.  
Sadaharu dropped the penis, whining, and it was scooped back into the box with the help of a shoe.

"Gin-San, you said it was the key to man hood! That's just-"  
"Some poor man's manhood." Gintoki stated, nodding.

"Is it okay?" I asked walking to Gintoki's side.  
He shifted his gaze, and held the box open for me to see.  
It looked horrible. My jaw dropped, and I stared at it wide eyed.  
"L- Let's just hurry up an bury it..." We left my loft, (after managing to get Kagura to take off the jewelry) and started towards a park.

Gintoki had instructed Shinpachi to bring a shovel and he started to dig a small hole.  
Soon, Gintoki handed the box to Kagura. She peered at it curiously still not sure of what was inside.  
"Brat, we're gonna get a rock to put over it, don't let the mutt get it." The red head nodded, and Gintoki and I started away to find a 'headstone'.  
It only took about five minutes, and when we returned the hole was ready.

I laid the box in the hole, and everybody stood around it. Shinpachi shoved the shovel in the ground and I turned to Gintoki.  
"Open the box- So we can remember him properly..."  
Nodding in agreement I opened the box and my jaw dropped.  
"Kagura-Chan! There's a face on it!"  
The Yato shifted her gaze smiling.  
Gintoki peered at the crudely drawn red smiley face and turned to Kagura.  
"You did it didn't you? Why the hell would you draw a face on it?!"  
Shinpachi peered at the girl frowning, probably unsure of what to do.

"Well, you couldn't tell which side should face up..." Kagura stated in a small voice.  
Shaking my head I stood up, and walked to Gintoki's side.  
"Okay. A moment of silence for Taro..." We all bowed our heads as Gintoki spoke, and closed our eyes.  
A moment of silence passed, until a loud scream pierced the air.  
"WILLIE!" We all turned to face the voice, only to find a crazed naked man running up behind us.  
Gintoki pulled me out of the way as the man lept to the box, and snatched the penis from the ground.

"Taro?!" I asked, realizing that it had to be him. His hair gave it away, but not as much as the realization of his lack of a penis.

He turned to face us, donning a crazed expression, and looking alarmingly aggressive.  
Kagura and Shinpachi leaned away from him, and I gripped Gintoki's yukata wide eyed and frowning.  
A look of disbelief had also taken Gintoki, and we all stared at the man.  
Taro uttered an unnatural war cry, throwing his arms in the air. Holding the penis up to the sky, he turned and trampled away.

I peered up at Gintoki unsure of what to do. He firmly placed his hand on my shoulder, shaking his head.  
"Let him go- He should be with it right now..."


	32. Backed Into A Corner

Over a week passed, and I spent almost every day with Gintoki.  
Most of the time we weren't speaking, or he was being perverted in front of people. Embarrassing.  
We hadn't even spent a single night apart, either opting to stay at the Yorozura or my place.  
Gin and I didn't even have sex most of the time, but of course there were a few nights that we couldn't resist.  
He had persuaded me to not return to Takasugi, and act as though Taro never existed, and though it took a few days he eventually got his way.

We laid in my bed, wrapped in my newest set of silky sheets. The man had his hand over my back, and held me to his chest.  
Nearly asleep, I smirked, and rolled over, gently pulling him with me.  
"Gin, I haven't even worked since we've been together- I need to start going out again."  
Snickering under his breath he shook his head, resting his weight on me.  
"Shut up. No you don't..."  
I couldn't help but roll my eyes, and bent my leg, running it up his.  
The wooden paneling of my room reflected dim light from a small lamp into the darkness of the loft below.  
Everything was pitch black ahead, but the small room we were in was filled with warm light.

Things had never been so comfortable before, and I enjoyed his company, along with the time we spent with Shinpachi, and Kagura.  
The kids would stay over occasionally too, taking advantage of the convenient set up of my loft.  
The couch could easily turn into a bed, and there was a hidden extra bed in the wall, which of course, Kagura claimed as her own.

* * *

When morning arrived, Gintoki and I cooked breakfast together, and stretched out in front of the TV.  
We still hadn't even bothered to get dressed, and I laid over him on the couch.  
Our plates remained on the table, and we would occasionally reach for a bit of food while watching whatever he flipped the channel to.  
"This is so interesting... I never imagined so much information being on a television..."  
Humorously snorting at my statement he changed the channel.

Fruit was always the man part of our meals, and every time I would buy some Gintoki seemed to grow suspicious, wondering where the money came from.  
Of course, I wouldn't tell him that illegal jobs pay better than any other, but I think he already knew.  
Finally leaving the house, we walked towards the Yorozura. A small baked goods stand was set up on the side of the road.  
Gintoki and I walked up to it, and he stared at the treats in the glass.  
I allowed my eyes to wander to the nearly empty street.  
The only people around were entering or exiting small businesses, not even a single car was passing.  
The sky was clear, and seemed to glow a deep shade of sapphire.

Turning back to Gintoki I was slightly surprised when he extended a large round pastry towards me. Melon pan.  
I eagerly accepted the food, allowing a large content grin to curl my lips, and he watched me curiously as I walked beside him.

"You really like that stuff don't you?"  
Peering up at the man I noted the soft smile that teased the corner of his lips, and nodded happily.  
He had bought himself some as well, and we continued down the street.  
Just as we were nearing the Yorozura, my pan was flung from my hand.  
Surprised I gazed to my right, finding the half eaten bread pinned to a wooden wall by a star.  
Gintoki also seemed to notice this, and I felt rage boil within me. Who would do such a thing? Why the bread?! Why not hit me instead?!

Enraged, I searched the street for the responsible party. I would get more. They would buy me another loaf.  
It wasn't until I spotted a woman standing atop a short building that I realized exactly who it was.  
"Damn it, Chizuru!" Gintoki glanced down at me, and then to her processing the scene.  
Wild laughter echoed across the street, and he placed a hand on my shoulder.  
"Don't worry about it... We can get you more..."  
I gazed up at him, scowling.  
"But my-"  
"It's not worth it. If the fish don't bite, the boat is bound to leave." His words earned a loud sigh from me, and I briskly nodded.  
We continued walking, and Chizuru started to call after us.  
"Aww, dear sister, your scared? Or is it that boyfriend of yours? He's the one making you weak?!"  
Slowing to a halt I stared ahead of us. Gintoki turned to face me, shaking his head.  
Temper flaring up, I tightened my jaw. What to do? Listen to Gintoki, or rebel and risk angering him?  
A deep breath forced it's way into my lungs, and I calmly closed my eyes out of irritation, continuing.

"Don't fucking walk away from me!"  
Loud footsteps approaching informed me that my beloved sister had lept the short distance from the building, and was now charging me.  
Gripping my sword I turned to her just in time to block a vertical swipe of her sword.  
I leaned back as she made contact with my blade, absorbing the force of the blow.  
Soon I found that Gintoki was fighting Kuro behind me. Where the hell did he come from? The two must have been inseparable.  
But now was not a time to think of such things. Chizuru continued to accost me, pushing me back, and keeping me on the defensive.  
Evading her blade I pulled my second sword out, thankful that Kawakami had tough me to use both simultaneously.  
The sound of cracking wood filled the air, and I barely glanced over my shoulder to find Gintoki's bokken shattering.  
Fuck.

Somehow I managed to turn Chizuru's back to the men so I could see what was happening, and surprisingly Gintoki was injured.  
Double fuck.

"Gin, just kill him!" I growled, but the man seemed to have no intention of becoming so serious about this.  
This was too much. With Chizuru attacking me, I couldn't make it to his side.  
Though he was dodging Kuro's blade, striking the man when possible, this couldn't end well. It was too intense.  
These two wouldn't stop until either I killed them, or they killed me.  
stopping Chizuru's blade with my own, I kicked the woman in the stomach. She dropped her sword, and I ran to Gintoki.

Kuro was just about the stab the man when I beat him to the punch line. My sword slammed into his back, piercing the man's stomach.  
He froze in place, and Gintoki stared at me wide eyed.  
"Don't fucking touch him..." The words were sneered through clenched teeth, and soon my sister started to shout.  
"Kuro! Kuro! Rein, what have you done?!" She wailed the words, and rushed to the mans side grabbing him.  
Tears streamed down her face, and I averted my gaze. My anger had subsided. All that remained was shame.  
If I had just listened to Gintoki...

I retracted my blade, knowing that there was no turning back. the action could not be taken back, life could not be restored.  
The man fell straight to the ground, sputtering blood. Chizuru knelt beside him, weeping loudly.  
"Make your peace..." My voice sounded harsher then intended. and Kuro slowly nodded.

"Chi-" His words were interrupted by a cough of blood, and I refused to look at the man.  
"I love you Chi- I'm so sorry... So sorry..." He started to cry with her, and though his words were a mere whisper, they held the weight of the world.  
"Please don't die- We can keep going together... Don't leave me alone! I can take care of this, it's not that bad!"  
"Chi, calm down... We knew this would happen... It's not getting any better... Stick to the plan."  
Blood started to pool around the man on the sidewalk, running into the gutter on the road.

They shared a moment of mutual grief, wrapped in each others arms. Sighing loudly I placed my blade to his throat.  
"What are you doing?! Don't-" Kuro quickly cut Chizuru off.  
"It's okay Chi... I'd rather her finish me... It hurt so much..."

The woman glared up at me, and gripped his hand.  
"Are you ready? Are you finished?" I gazed down at the man, and he nodded solemnly.  
"Take your last breath... Savor it..."  
He did as instructed, and squeezed Chizuru's hand as I stabbed my blade through his neck, severing the stem of his brain.  
Death was almost immediate, and Chizuru sobbed loudly.  
"You... You bitch..." She could barely choke the words, and I nodded.

"I know..." Leaving it at that I walked to Gintoki's side. He was still standing in place, holding his arm.  
Blood had covered his sleeve, and I urged him to walk with me.  
He silently obliged, yet looked down upon me with an odd expression, one of disapproval, as we continued to the Yorozura.


	33. Confessions

Shinpachi and Kagura were increasingly concerned for Gintoki as we entered the Yorozura.  
He insisted that he was fine, and I proceeded to clean his wounds in his room.  
It wasn't anything major, a few nicks and scrapes at the most, but definitely enough to sew up and command him not to move for a month.  
Well, he could move, just nothing too tasking.  
The man was clearly disturbed by my display of aggression. He refused to look at me, and I sighed loudly.  
"Gin... I didn't really have a choice... He was going to-"  
"That doesn't matter. I can't die- I'm too lazy. I told you not to worry about it..." He sighed the words as though he had grown immediately tired.

"But... I couldn't let him hurt you... It was one thing for Chizuru to attack me... But for you to get hurt just because-"  
"I told you that doesn't matter!" He snapped the words at me, and I finished wrapping his arm.  
Dropping my head, I felt guilt creep over me.  
"Look at yourself... You're covered in blood! It's not even visible... Your hands... Covered in the blood of your enemies!"  
Raising his hand to my cheek, he roughly wiped away a bit of crimson and showed me.  
I sat beside him, with nothing to say. No response that could dignify my actions.  
It was true that I had killed tens, if not hundreds of men. But he had already known that. It wasn't like it was news to him.

Obviously irritated, he rose to his feet. I gripped his arm, peering up at him, almost desperately.  
"Gin..." He glared down at me, and the expression caused my heart to drop.  
Without a single word the man snatched away from my touch, denying my need for comfort.

"You don't even care... Didn't even hesitate, or flinch... And what do you have to say for yourself? Does it even bother you?!"  
He started to pace back and forth, and I nodded.  
"Of course it bothers me! Do you think I wanted to-"  
"You don't understand... This dagger..." Walking to a small dresser he opened the drawer and pulled out the small knife I had given him a while back.

"There was a man once... He kept pestering me. Saying that he had to fight Shiroyasha, and he wouldn't rest until he did.  
Followed me around everywhere went. I got tired of it, but kept ignoring him. One night, I had been drinking with an old friend... Katsura."  
Taking a deep breath Gintoki lowered his gaze.

"The man accosted me, and at first we made a game out of evading his attacks. But it got serious... I-" Pausing he locked my eyes in an intense stare.  
"I killed him... With a dagger identical to this one... Everything was fine. Life went back to normal. But one day there was a funeral held for the man and his family had gathered around.  
He had a wife, and three children. Yeah, I felt bad but I didn't think much of it. It was his fault right? He was a fool for pursuing me in the first place, right?"  
Shaking his head, Gintoki replaced the dagger in the drawer.

"But not even a month later his family started to suffer. All because I lost my temper.  
They couldn't survive without him, and because of me they were forced to live on the streets... they all died. All of them.  
Not a single one remains to this day. Over a stupid game, a man's pride. Just because he started it doesn't mean it was okay for me to end it. Him."

I remained silent as he spoke, and when he finished I stood up.  
"Gin... I didn't know..." Walking to his side, I started to wrap my arms around the man, but he moved away from me.

"Just go... We can't do this right now..."  
His voice was low, and he shifted his gaze.

I had been frozen in place when he moved, but nodded. As I passed him I glanced up at him from the corner of my eyes.  
Kagura and Shinpachi were eager to see if Gintoki was okay, but I couldn't bother with talking.  
I murmured a simple "He's fine" and left the building.


	34. Truth Of Life

Three days had passed and I hadn't even seen Gintoki.  
He didn't call me, and the kids didn't come to visit. I was practically isolated from the few people I was comfortable around.  
When morning arrived I opted to find job to take my mind off of things.  
The industrial district was always the place to find work, so I walked to the old warehouse I would stay in the past.

It didn't take long for me to find a job. Actually a job found me.  
A mysterious man approached me as I gazed at the wreckage below from the incomplete wall of the warehouse.  
He was clothed in a chocolate yukata, and walked to my side. A breeze ruffled his blonde hair, and he glanced at me.  
The man held a silver briefcase, large enough to fit two laptops inside.  
"Are you Rein?"  
"Password." I demanded, knowing that he could be a cop. It wasn't often that an unknown employer approached in such a bold manner.  
"Of course... Silver mist."

Crossing my arms I stared into his eyes.  
"What is your business with me?"  
He sighed loudly, and shifted his gaze to the incomplete stone walls below.  
"I hear you're the best at your work. I have business proposal for you."  
"Go on." I urged, curious as to what he needed.

"You see. I'm in the exchange business. I supply alcohol, and in turn my clients provide adequate fund.  
Recently one of my clients has been increasingly aggressive towards me. I feel that I maybe in danger.  
You have the skills of the blade with you. I ask that you make the delivery for me. In return, I will give you a portion of the payment."

After a moment of contemplation I nodded.  
"Accepted. What time?"  
"Two hours." He stated, and I nodded once again. He gave me the location of the business, and left the briefcase with me.

Thought the man remained mysterious I chalked it up to the fact that most people didn't want me to know who they were.  
Of course there were a few employers who were very straight forward, others found it shameful to hire one such as myself to do their dirty work, or for protection.  
They would, however, refer their friends to me if necessary.  
If a person was referred, the password was exchanged between the two to prove their association with a previous client.

* * *

The time came to make the delivery, and I grabbed the briefcase, and started away.  
A job was exactly what I needed to take my mind off of things. Things being Gintoki, of course.  
As I entered the building I noticed that it was pitch black inside. Not a good sign.  
Keeping my guard up I slipped through the darkness, searching for whoever was in charge of the place.  
I kept one hand on my sword, just in case something, or body, decided to pop out at me.

I crept through the whole building, finding nobody, but a gut feeling told me that I was not alone.  
Not in the slightest. Alarmed I decided to make my way back to the entrance. This was a trap.  
It had trap written all over it. The last room I entered smelled like a warehouse. The air was damp, and had a slight chill to it.  
I took a few steps into the room, before opting to turn back. This was too risky. I didn't know what could lie ahead.  
As I turned around, a dim light flickered on.

"Rein..."  
Chizuru stood in the door way, only a meter away from me, and I dropped the briefcase.  
Her arms were crossed, and she leaned against the frame of the door, donning a concerned expression.

"What do you want, Chi?" Though I was obviously hostile, my voice was low. She shifted her gaze and bit her lower lip. Kind of like me.

"We need to talk. I knew I couldn't just approach you on the street. But there are some things you need to know..."  
She refused to look at me, and my old sword hung on her hip.  
I didn't remove my hand from the handle of my blade and watched her intensely.

"Do you know anything about our family? Do you even remember mother?"  
Her question was unexpected, and I sharply inhaled, lessening my offensive stance.  
Heavy silence engulfed us, and I shook my head.

"Let me tell you... It's time for the truth to come out... You have to know." Neither of us moved, and she released a long weary sigh.  
"It was my fault..."

Not understanding the statement I frowned in confusion. She peered into my eyes, fresh tears glistening in hers.  
"I killed them..."

"What?" I gasped the word and shook my head. "That's impossible! You were only six when they died!"

Firmly shaking her head she lowered her gaze.  
"Do you remember that day at the lake?"  
It was obvious that I didn't and after a short pause she continued.

"Of course not, you were barely even four... We were playing, and this man came up to us.  
He was dressed like a jester, and bought us ice cream... He wanted to see our family heirloom. Said it was famous...  
He told me that if I showed him he would give me this teddy bear..."  
She tightened her arms, hugging herself as she leaned up against the door frame.  
"It was pink, and had sparkly little eyes... It said 'I love you" on it and I wanted to get it for mom's birthday... So after we went home I went back and showed it to him..."

A low sob filled the air, and she dropped her head.  
"I didn't know any better... I was just a child... When I brought him the music box he said it was really pretty.  
Acted like he was gonna give me the bear, and shoved me to the ground... He stole it, and left me there crying...  
I was so scared that I would get in trouble... But I went and told mom and dad."

I watched her, too stunned to say anything. She was obviously grieved, and rested her forehead on her palm.  
"They used to fight too... They were really good. When I told them they told me that that man had been trying to steal the music box for years...  
That it used to belong to our great grandmother. That night they tucked us into bed, and read to us, like everything was fine. _But it wasn't!_"  
She hissed the last part, and gazed up at me.  
"I knew something was wrong! But I- I didn't think that it would be so... Bad..."  
The word hung in the air, and I dropped my hand, waiting to hear the rest.

"They left in the middle of the night and never returned...  
They went to get it back, and got killed! All because I was too foolish to know any better!  
All because I wanted that fucking bear!"

Tears started to streamed down her face, and mine as well. Chizuru shook her head as if trying to shake the memory away.  
"I took care of you for a month, hoping they would return.  
We got kicked out, and a month became a year... I had to find a way for us to survive... It was hard.  
You kept crying and I couldn't stop you... We hid from the police under bridges, and in gutters...  
You always cried! Almost got us caught! But... But I loved you. It was okay, because we were together..."  
Her voice cracked, and she stood up placing her hand on her sword.

"Your name is Rein Itami. You are one of the last of the Itami family. Hold yourself properly. _Stop fucking crying_!"  
She angrily sobbed the words, unsheathing her blade.  
"You will fight me. Only the strong will survive. I will finish the job- Eliminate you as well... Your life will be mine. I will be Rein.  
I will take your job- your new found family. I will be _you_. There isn't enough air for _two."_

Chizuru lunged towards me, and through the haze of my tears I blocked her with my own blade.  
"Chi- Stop! It wasn't your fault!" As I stopped her attack she froze, glaring into my eyes.  
"Everything was my fault... _Everything!"_

Pushing my back, he swung again, and I caught her sword with mine.  
Hatefully pushing forward, Chizuru cried out from the exertion.  
I continued to block her, not wanting to hurt the woman.  
Hoping that she would grow tired, and give up.

* * *

**A/N: Hi all:) **  
**So the final showdown has come. Rein has a last name *Gasp***  
**Just wanted to let you know that after this, there will only be two more chapters.**  
**This story has been super long, but I love it so much- just hope I don't get killed for the ending. LOL**  
**I was thinking of branching off into another story- Crazy huh? Yeah, three long ass stories that make one, but not sure. **  
**I've got some good ideas though... Very god indeed. Might not do it, it depends on you awesome readers really.**  
**Alright, that's all, just wanted to tell you that and thank you for your comments and taking the time to read my story! :D  
**


	35. Farewell

It wasn't until I evaded her attack and was met with a fist to the face that I realized I wouldn't get off so easily.  
I fell to the ground, clenching my sword, and she stood over me, scowling.  
"Fight... Or die." Malice dripped from the words, and I peered up at her. She wore a light blue yukata, paired with a pink belt.  
Always the girly one. Standing up, I pulled my second sword out.  
Chizuru didn't hesitate to swipe at me, and I sidestepped the attack, swinging back at her.  
The woman blocked, and kicked towards me. Using my second sword I sliced her leg, and she cried out in pain.

It didn't stop her. The blood dripping to the ground wasn't even enough for her to glace at it.  
She stabbed towards me, and I barely moved fast enough. He blade caught my arm and I clenched my teeth, knowing that this was serious.  
Too serious to focus on injuries, great or small. A horizontal swing was avoided, and I stabbed through her arm.  
Sparks began to fly, as metal collided, filling the room with the sound of a war.  
A war of sisters, fought for no reason. A foolish spat, with no purpose, no true meaning.  
And there I was fighting my on reflection.  
We tore into each other, both panting, and bloody. Neither of us willing to be the loser.  
Needless to say, I still didn't want to kill her. I didn't want her to die.  
She knew our names, knew everything I hadn't the slightest clue about.

Her memories were precious something that would disappear if she were to die. She was a strong sister.  
A good sister, who had nourished me in time of need. Provided for me, and comforted me, was always by my side.  
Even though things had gotten to this point. Despite everything she had done to me, and what she blamed herself for, I loved her.

Snickering, Chizuru leaned back, and shoved her blade into my thigh.  
"Hesitation... You smell of it..."  
Murmuring the words the retracted her blade, and I ducked under a swing to the face, taking the opportunity to ram the handle of my blade into her rips as I moved behind her.

The pain was made known by a sharp cry, and Chizuru immediately flung around, slicing across my chest.  
If she had been even an inch closer, that may have been my life. Crying out I managed to slice her arm, and she shoved her blade into my hip.

"Are you scared?! Stop avoiding the serious hits! Fucking fight me!"  
Angrily barking the words, Chizuru twisted her blade, and I screeched in pain.  
Without thinking about it I stabbed towards her. A gasp filled the air as my blade pierced her skin.  
She stared down at the sword, at her sullied yukata. Her blade fell from my hip, and I cringed as it clattered to the ground.

"Ch- Chi..." My voice wavered as I spoke and she gazed into my eyes, tears streaming down her face.

Grabbing the edges of my blade Chizuru dragged herself towards me.  
"Stop- Stop Chi! Please... STOP!"  
The skin of her fingers sliced open, and she pulled herself to my finger guard.  
The woman wrapped her arms around my shoulders and leaned onto my chest.  
"I- I just wanted you to live with this... Not me... I couldn't take it... I- I love you... Please... Don't hate me..."

My eyes widened, and she tightened her grip around me.  
"Rein... Itami is our name... Remember it... I love you... Please... Forgive me..."

I couldn't move. My limbs had become stone. My eyes burned. I immediately started to sob.  
Grabbing Chizuru's yukata, I laid her on the ground. Blood trailed from her lips, and I quickly pulled the blade from her chest.  
Dropping the weapons, I scooped her in my arms, holding her in an embrace.  
"Chi... I'm- I'm so sorry... I never knew... I should have-"  
"You couldn't have done anything... Don't blame yourself..."  
Her voice was growing weaker. She held her arms against her chest, and my chest.  
"This was never about a sword... Heh... Look at us now... True sisters, hugging and what not..."  
A lazy chuckle filled the air, and I snorted in dry amusement. All the while, my own chest ached.  
As if I was the one who had been stabbed.

"You can still survive... If we get you to the hospi-"  
"Don't even try to- Just finish me... Like you did Kuro... Hurry up. That box over there. Open it when you're done..."  
She cut me off, obviously accepting the pain, accepting death and defeat.  
I didn't move. I couldn't let go. it was too much to bear.  
"But Chi... I- I can't-"  
"Stop whining... Don't get us caught. It could take me an hour to die. An hour of pain... Hurry up..."  
She weakly hit my chest, and I nodded.  
Gently laying her down, I grabbed my sword. She gripped my yukata, and somehow managed to tediously pull herself up.

"Goodbye, little sister... I love you... So much. I couldn't have... Asked for a better one..."  
Her words caused a painful lump to form in my throat, and she lightly kissed my cheek before I eased her back down.  
Positioning the blade over her neck, I sobbed. Guilt consumed me.  
She nodded, weakly gripping my free hand.  
Leaning over her, I closed my eyes, and planted a soft farewell kiss on her cheek, returning her affection.  
"I love you..." She murmured and I nodded.  
"I love you too..." After whispering the words, plunged my blade into her throat.

* * *

**A/N: So the truth behind Chizuru. O.O **  
**She wasn't really evil evil, just wanted to be killed. Yeah. That's crazy, right? Yeah.**  
**So I think that I'll keep writing after the end, because it makes me sad. And it leaves one question in mind. **  
** For some reason my sister and boyfriend liked it (Wtf)**  
**But I want more of the story too. Yeah. I'll keep writing it. **  
**Also it was a bit rushed, because it's a spontaneous decision on Rein's part. **  
**But this will be fixed. HAHAHA! Yay. And I don't want to be killed :D**


	36. The End?

I must have sobbed over Chizuru for hours. I couldn't move; couldn't leave her side.  
Completely exhausted, I grabbed all three of the swords, and strapped them on.  
Her eyes had already been closed, and she laid in a pool of our combining blood. It was too much.  
Grief consumed me. Depression had sunken into the very depths of my soul.

Walking to the suitcase I opened it and found the music box she had spoken of, accompanied with family pictures.  
Baby pictures, pictures of our parents, every body together, Chizuru and I wearing matching dresses. There were even pictures of us at the dojo.  
Every memory I no longer held was in the suitcase.  
Names and dates were scribbled in her horrible hand writing on the back, and letters our parents had written to each other remained intact.  
There were even letters Chizuru and I would pretend to mail to each other when we lived in the dojo.  
There were two pictures of master, and even a few of Kuro.  
Chizuru had left a note taped to the top of the suitcase that simply said "I love you- Take care of yourself".

Sobbing one last time, I left. I had to get away from this.  
It was impossible to escape the stiff air; the image of Chizuru laying before me; dead.  
Killed by my own blade, my tainted hands. She had planned this out, passed her burden on to me.  
Only, I couldn't bear the weight. I would easily be crushed by the emotions.  
A sea of feelings, far to many to count, and impossible to ignore.  
I could no longer hold my head up. With nowhere else to go I returned to my loft, taking the suitcase, and our swords.

* * *

My cigarettes were soaked in blood, yet I still managed to smoke one.  
When I reached my warehouse I still hadn't stopped crying. How was it that one death could tear me apart?  
The realization that I had been doing this to people all of my life crossed me. I gave people this feeling, hundreds of families.  
Mothers, children, wives... Sisters and brothers. Everybody had lost somebody, because of me. Not a single life remained unscathed.

Though I was bleeding profusely I collapsed on the couch, not bothering to look at the wounds.  
Somehow I had managed to limp home. It remained a mystery to me; how I could do this time and time again.  
Reaching into my wrist pouch I called Gintoki.

No answer.

Straight to voice mail.

Damn it, what was up with him never being available at important times like this?  
Silently cursing the lazy bastard I called Hijikata. The night was still young, he had to be awake.  
When the line picked up, he greeted me, and I sniffled loudly.  
"Toushi..." For some reason my voice was weak, and slurred. He was immediately alarmed.  
"Rein? What's wrong? Are you okay?"  
Dryly chuckling I sighed.

"I just... I just... My sister... She's..."  
Unable to bear even speaking the words I stared at the wall.  
"Where are you?" He asked, and soon a car door could be heard closing in the background.  
"... My place... You haven't been here yet. Don't even try to come over- you'll never find it... But I- I can't take it..."

"Take what? What happened?! Damn it Rein! Stop being so damn elusive! What the fuck is going on?! Are you hurt?!"  
Obviously annoyed Hijikata snapped the words at me.

I couldn't do this. Growing tired of the conversation I hung up. Too tedious.  
Willing myself to move, I pulled a small notebook from the table beside me.  
A pen was laying on the table as well, and I started to scribble some words. Good bye letters.  
I made three separate notes, all pretty much saying the same thing. A light notion of love, appreciation, and regret.

I folded each paper three times, and addressed the appropriate ones to Gintoki, Hijikata, and Kawakami.  
Living with the guilt of killing Chizuru was too much. Living with the knowledge of the pain I had caused was equally impossible.  
The burden would be over soon. I was already injured and would probably die if I didn't tend to my wounds, but I didn't really care.

Forcing myself up, I dropped my swords on the hardwood by my feet.  
The thought of going on like this... Well, the pain I already felt was enough to floor me, and I allowed it to.  
I dropped to the hardwood, sitting on my legs. My eyes swept over the exquisite interior design of the loft.  
How did I go from living in an incomplete warehouse to this? From being homeless to having such a nice place to live?  
Okita still called me Hobo-San, and for a reason.  
Even though I lived in such a nice place, that's all I would ever be.  
I had survived off of dirty money, all earned from taking lives, and other illegal actions. Gintoki was right.

Utterly alone I dropped my head. There was only one way to go with honor.  
Only one thing to do at a point like this. Everything had been done, and time could never be rewound.  
Fate could never change, and neither could I.  
Yeah, I may have helped a few people along the way, but the number of those I had slain far out weighed the amount which I had spared; rescued.  
How could I save people from myself? If people needed somebody else to rescue them, who would rescue me?

I tried to call Gintoki once more before giving up. This was a sign.  
I wasn't supposed to find help. I would have to help myself, as I had done so many times before, back when I was truly solitary.  
And though I had made good friends, in the end I was always alone.  
Always thinking, feeling, and speaking alone. How could it have come to this?

I gripped my master's old blade, and though it was covered in my blood, I knew that it also had Chizuru's.  
This was the only solution; the only way to go with honor. To relieve the world of the burden, no the _curse_ which was my family.  
I positioned it to my stomach, knowing that this was all for nothing. Positive that this was the proper path.  
Most likely Hijikata would find my place. Find me. I had shamed myself, by taking too many lives to count. Taking my own sister's life.

A short moment of hesitation passed me, fear. After taking a deep breath, I plunged the blade into my stomach.  
The pain was unbearable. I couldn't move any more. I couldn't finish, move the blade from left to right.  
It was too much of a morbid scene... A sensation. I shakily retracted the blade, and let it fall to the ground.

Not even strong enough to complete seppuku, figures.  
My yukata had grown cold after the fight with Chizuru, but was now soaking up fresh, warm blood.  
Gripping my abdomen, I collapsed to my side, blankly staring at the cold hardwood beneath me.  
At least I wouldn't have to explain to Gintoki, or Hijikata.  
At least they would know who I was, I wrote my last name on the letters.

* * *

**A/N: See? Spontaneous and sad. Very depressing. I actually really liked this character.**  
**But since there's no confirmation of death. it would be easy to change *Evil Grin***  
**We shall continue.** **Also, You know how you expected Chizuru to go after Gin? **  
**Well, when Kuro was dying, he told her to stick to the plan.**  
**The plan was to reveal the family secrets, and be killed. Yeah. **  
**Nothing more. She couldn't live with the guilt of getting her parents killed.**

***Update* Okay! So- I've written a few of the next chapters, and after a small internal debate about posting here,  
or in a new story, I've decided to do the latter. It will be titled And When It Rains. :D Yay, excitement and such. **


End file.
